President Bola Tinubu has been chosen to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as its next chairman.
At the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, Tinubu’s election was announced.
Since taking office on May 29, 2023, the President’s first engagement on the African continent was the summit of the 63rd Ordinary Session.
Tinubu, the newest member of West Africa’s elite club of heads of state, vowed to uphold the office’s responsibilities and lead an inclusive administration of the regional body.
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The president of Nigeria takes over as ECOWAS chair from President Umaro Embalo of Guinea-Bissau. We will take democracy seriously, he said. “Democracy is very difficult, but it is the best.”
However, the Nigerian president issued a dire warning, noting that the sub-regional threat to peace had grown alarmingly serious due to terrorism and a developing pattern of military takeover, which now calls for urgent and coordinated response.
Further stating that insecurity and escalating terrorism were impeding the region’s progress and development, Tinubu urged member states to act collectively, promising that under his leadership, frameworks would be harmonised to realise the aspirations of ECOWAS.
“On peace and security, the threat has reached an alarming level, and needs urgent actions in addressing the challenges. Indeed, without a peaceful environment, progress and development in the region will continue to remain elusive. In this regard, we must remain committed to the utilisation of all regional frameworks at our disposal to address the menace of insecurity,” Tinubu said, according to a statement by his spokesman, Dele Alake.
The President noted that ECOWAS had developed a security architecture, which “covers a wide range of areas that involved kinetic and non-kinetic operations, including preventive diplomacy. There is also the Regional Plan of Action on Fight against Terrorism 2020-2024 as well as the operationalisation of the ECOWAS Standby Force on Fight Against Terrorism.
“I will ensure that we immediately harmonize these plans and mobilize resources as well as the political will towards the actualisation of the initiatives. As terrorists do not respect boundaries, we must work collectively to have an effective regional counterterrorism measure.”
“We must stand firm on democracy. There is no governance, freedom and rule of law without Democracy. We will not accept coup after coup in West Africa again. Democracy is very difficult to manage but it is the best form of government.
“There is no one here among us who did not campaign to be a leader. We didn’t give our soldiers resources, we didn’t invest in them, in their boots, in their training to violate the freedom of the people. To turn their guns against civil authorities is a violation of the principles upon which they were hired, which is, to defend the sovereignty of their nations. We must not sit in ECOWAS as toothless bulldogs,” the President warned.
