President Bola Tinubu has been reelected as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He was re-elected at the 65th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government which was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Sunday.
His re-election is coming about one year after he took over the leadership of the regional bloc.
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 Chairman of ECOWAS appointed the President of Senegal, His Excellency, Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and the President of Togo, His Excellency, 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.
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 emphasized the expediency of a standby force in the face of growing security threats in the region.
“As we 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,” he told the gathering.
“We must therefore ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our ministers of defence and finance in order to counter the insecurity and stabilise our region.
“Member states must make extra commitments to providing resources for stabilising the region,” he added.
