Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment To ECOWAS As New Appointees Take Over

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to the progress, growth and stability of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

A statement issued on Tuesday by Raphael Oni, Special Assistant on Digital Media and Public Diplomacy to the Minister of State noted that Enikanolaiye made this commitment at the handover ceremony for outgoing to incoming Statutory Appointees of ECOWAS Institutions in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister conveyed the warm greetings and best wishes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and described the transition as an affirmation of continuity in the collective pursuit of regional integration, over fifty years after the founding of ECOWAS.

He urged the incoming management to remain anchored to the vision of the founding fathers – a united, peaceful, prosperous and integrated West Africa – and to build an “ECOWAS of citizens and not of governments.”

The minister charged the new leadership to prioritize implementation of ECOWAS Vision 2050 – “The ECOWAS of Peoples: Peace and Prosperity for All,” with focus on free movement, intra-regional trade and investment, infrastructure, food and energy security, youth and women empowerment, and job creation.

Reiterating Nigeria’s position, he stressed that financial probity, accountability, cost-effectiveness and prudent management must remain watchwords, noting that ECOWAS must justify the huge investments made by Nigeria and other Member States through the Community Levy.

Ambassador Enikanolaiye also emphasized that peace and security remain the bedrock of economic integration, calling for intensified engagement with the AES countries as brothers and sisters with shared challenges and aspirations.

While commending the outgoing President, Commissioners and Heads of Institutions for their service, he congratulated the incoming team and urged them to lead with vision, integrity, efficiency and service to community citizens.

“Nigeria remains committed to working constructively with the new leadership and all Member States towards a stronger, more integrated and people-centred ECOWAS,” he said.

The new President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, has assumed office. General Diop, a former Senegalese Minister of Defence and former Chief of the General Staff of the Senegalese Armed Forces, was appointed by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 69th Ordinary Summit in Sierra Leone. He succeeds Dr. Omar Alieu Touray of The Gambia, whose four-year tenure has come to an end.

General Diop has promised to provide strategic leadership to strengthen regional integration, peace and security, economic cooperation and institutional effectiveness. Anthony Ogunjimi of Nigeria will serve as the new Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, while all Commissioners have also been replaced.

The event was attended by the Chair of ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Cheikh Niang, members of the Permanent Representatives Committee, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chair of ECOWAS Business Council, staff of ECOWAS Institutions, and members of the press, the statement added.