In another development, President Bola Tinubu has urged leaders of the Economic Community of West African States to match bold policies with decisive implementation, declaring that the regional bloc must now translate its half-century legacy into tangible impact for its people, especially the youth and women who make up the majority of its population.
Delivering a keynote address at the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS in Lagos, President Tinubu, who serves as Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, acknowledged the organisation’s many milestones in regional integration, trade liberalisation, peacekeeping, and democratic governance.
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However, he asserted that the next phase must be defined by accelerated implementation and deliberate investments in the region’s human capital.
The president also paid homage to the bloc’s founding fathers, including Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former head of state and the only surviving pioneer of the 1975 treaty as well as past ECOWAS presidents and staff who built the framework for regional unity and cooperation.
The Nigerian leader hailed the body’s achievements in uniting Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone nations, pioneering free movement across borders, and establishing regional instruments like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s continued leadership role in West Africa, President Tinubu pledged to sustain technical assistance and regional capacity-building through Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps.