Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has been announced as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in what was his first attendance at the Ordinary Session of the regional economic bloc.
Tinubu was elected ECOWAS Chairman in Bissau, the port city and capital of Guinea-Bissau, during the 63rd Ordinary Session of the organization.
In his acceptance speech, Tinubu thanked the heads of state and government present for their confidence and trust in him.
He expressed his desire to see a more unified ECOWAS where collaboration rather than division will drive the cause for a stronger regional organization. He also expressed his convictions by admitting that sharing the myriad problems facing member states will help engender shared solutions and regional solidarity.
Tinubu highlighted the need for the region to take democracy seriously. He said, “We will take democracy seriously. Democracy is very tough, but it is the best form of government.”
This is not the first time a Nigerian president will be elected as the Chairman of the Organization.
Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, who was at the time a military head of state, was the chairman from 1978 to 1979. Muhammadu Buhari, who was a two-time chairman of the organization, had his first stint in 1985 before he was ousted in a military coup. paving the way for Ibrahim Babangida from 1985 to 1989. As a civilian president, Buhari was elected ECOWAS Chairman in July 2018.
Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Umaru Musa Yar Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan have all chaired ECOWAS at various times.
The ECOWAS treaty, which was signed in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1975, birthed ECOWAS with a well-articulated, regionally focused objective. It was conceived as a tool for the promotion of the region’s economic interests, their integration, cooperation, and unity among member states.
Tinubu will succeed President Umaro Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, who was elected on July 4, 2022.
