By Cross Udo, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has been re-elected as the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government.
He was re-elected at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria.
Tinubu was first elected to the position in Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023.
Speaking at the end of the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority, President Tinubu accepted the task of his re-election, promising to serve his utmost best.
*Appoints Senegal’s President, Faye, Special Envoy to discuss with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger
He appointed the President of Senegal, Bassirou Faye, and the President of Togo, Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, as Special Envoys to the ECOWAS Commission to facilitate mediation with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger that had earlier announced their exit from the regional body in the year
In his acceptance speech, the President said he will continue to work with other elements within the continent to sustain the democratic values and structures of the community.
He 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.
According to him, “Having a new mandate, I will request Faye of Senegal to please become our special envoy alongside Tuggur, to do round-the-clock work with our brothers and Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and coordinate with me, if necessary, and with the commission.
“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.
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 emphasized the expediency of a standby force in the face of growing security threats in the region.
“Thank you very much. There’s no need for long speeches anymore now that I’ve accepted to continue in the service with great members and great minds who are committed to democratic values and journeys for us in the region.
“I’ll continue my utmost best to serve our interests and build on the democratic value and the structure that we inherited”, he said.
President Faye, according to Tinubu, will run the new task alongside Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar.
Fielding questions on the consequences of the President of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger exiting from the regional body, the President of ECOWAS, Dr. Omar Touray, said as a community, it has put in place several arrangements which when you get out of the agreement, there is the risk to miss the concessions.
He said there could be visa requirements for those who opted out of the regional body as it concerns free movement within the ECOWAS region.
Speaking on a single currency for the member states of the regional body, he said the time frame given for it to be launched is 2027 provided various criteria are met.
Also making clarifications on the $2.6bn Standby force, he said, “The 2.6 billion you refer, yes that is the cost of deploying our standby force, 5000-strong personnel standby Force annually.
“And the ministers of finance have instructed that the experts review the various options that could be made that could be presented to the leaders.
Funding for standby force.”
He said that there were suggestions for three percent of levies from member states to be added to the current levy and efforts to ensure that the fund is available.
*Insecurity: Tinubu tasks ECOWAS member states on financial commitments
Meanwhile, Tinubu has urged member states of the region to fulfil their financial commitments to the regional body to effectively tackle security challenges.
President Tinubu, who gave the charge at the 65th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS, said substantial financial resources are crucial to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) and combat terrorism, banditry, and violent extremism.
He urged member states to honour their financial obligations to enable ECOWAS to meet the expectations and recommendations of its ministers of Defence and Finance.
He contended that fulfilling the commitments will help stabilize the region and counter insecurity, adding that by meeting their financial commitments, ECOWAS member states will demonstrate their dedication to regional security and cooperation, enabling the community to better address the security challenges facing West Africa.
According to him, “Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potential, move to operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasise 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 to counter the insecurity and stabilise our region. Member states must make extra commitment to providing resources for stabilizing the region.
“To this end, I urge ECOWAS to leverage the capability of the Nigeria National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which is widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
“The Nigerian government has decided to declare the NCTC as a regional centre to enable all ECOWAS member states to benefit from capacity building and other related opportunities it offers.
“Your excellencies, dear heads of state, I urge those of you with time to visit the centre before your departure and assess first-hand on the facilities and the capabilities of NCTC”, President Tinubu said.
Tinubu also urged ECOWAS member states to unite and develop innovative approaches to unlock the region’s economic potential and promote prosperity.
He acknowledged the economic hurdles hindering progress and stressed the need for partnerships, investment, and infrastructure development.
He emphasised the importance of a conducive business environment to stimulate growth and build resilience against external shocks.
Addressing the financial challenges facing ECOWAS, he urged member states to comply with the protocol on community levies to ensure adequate resources for the organization’s programs, assuring of Nigeria’s commitment not to default on its finance commitments.
