President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been re-elected as the chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.

The president’s mandate was extended at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government n Sunday in Abuja, following the decision of the leaders to ensure continuity and consistency in meeting targets on security, reconciliation, and development.

President Tinubu was first elected to the position in Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023.

In his acceptance speech, the president said he would focus on consolidating the values of democracy and upholding the interest of the regional body, which will clock 50 years in 2025.

The ECOWAS chairman appointed the President of Senegal, Mr Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and the President of Togo, Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, as Special Envoys to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic.

“I have appointed the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to please become our Special Envoy to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic, along with the President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, to do around the clock work with our brothers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic, and to coordinate with me and the ECOWAS Commission, where necessary.

“I have accepted to continue the service to the great members and the great minds that are committed to democratic values and our journey in the region.

“I will continue to serve our interest and build on democratic values and the structure that we inherited. Thank you very much,’’ the president said.

…Harps on security, economic advancement

President Tinubu had earlier called on Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to work towards the establishment and sustenance of a regional standby force for the security and economic advancement of the community.

The president, who spoke at the opening session, emphasized the expediency of a standby force in the face of growing security threats in the region.

President Tinubu welcomed a new member of the Authority, Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

“The Regional Action Plan against Terrorism has enhanced cooperation on training, intelligence sharing, and humanitarian interventions. In addition to this, the Ministers of Finance and Defence met recently in Abuja to raise funds for activating the ECOWAS Standby Force to boost counter-terrorism efforts.

“Member countries are also displaying their commitment to combating insecurity by individually increasing their defence budgets in order to acquire necessary equipment and ensure preparedness,” the president said.

President Tinubu urged member states to commit more to providing the needed resources for securing the region.

“Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potential. As we move to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasize that the success of this plan requires not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources.

“We must, therefore, ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our Ministers of Defence and Finance, in order to counter insecurity and stabilize our region,” he said.

 Tinubu advised ECOWAS leaders to leverage the capabilities of Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.

The president said his government has decided to make the NCTC a regional centre to enable all ECOWAS member states to benefit from capacity building and other related opportunities it offers.

He also advised the management of ECOWAS to re-align and reposition its priorities by reducing overheads and setting up in-country steering committees.

“Difficult economic conditions and inconsistent payment of financial commitments to ECOWAS have contributed to the current plight. To ensure ECOWAS has adequate resources for its programmes and activities, I urge all member states to ensure full compliance with the Protocol on the Community Levy.

“Nigeria, under my leadership, is committed to leading by example in remitting its collected levies to the organization. Nevertheless, the ECOWAS management must also reduce its overhead expenditures and focus on programmes and activities that directly impact the lives of our citizens.

“I am aware of the progress report on the implementation of the ECOWAS Institutional Reforms. I therefore call on the President of the ECOWAS Commission to resume and expedite the conclusion of the second phase of the Institutional Reforms, aimed at reducing the organization’s operational costs,’’ the president said.

President Tinubu also called for support in re-electing Ambassador Bankole Adeoye as AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security in February 2025.

…Touray lauds appointment  

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, spoke on the appointment, stressing that “the Senegalese President indicated his acceptance to serve as facilitator for ECOWAS in our engagement with the three ex-countries (Alliance of Sahel States) and this is in the spirit of engagement that our leaders believe should continue, as you rightly said we don’t only share borders we share families, we share communities and the leaders are determined to keep our community together, ECOWAS is a community of people that must stay together.”

He said the exiting of ECOWAS by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger would affect the citizens of the countries and other ECOWAS countries, following the need for visas and the review of all trade and development agreements, including ongoing ECOWAS projects in those countries.

He thanked President Tinubu for his purposeful leadership, affirming that ECOWAS should not be defined by conflicts, elections, and coup d’états, but by development.

Touray said the exiting of ECOWAS by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger will affect citizens of the countries, and other ECOWAS countries, following the need for visas, and the review of all trade and development agreements, including ongoing ECOWAS projects in those countries.