President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been re-elected as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for another term.
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The election took place on Sunday at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority held at the State House, Abuja.
In his opening remark, Tinubu urged ECOWAS member states to make financial commitments to help in the battle against terrorism 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 said.
Tinubu stressed the importance of meeting the expectations and recommendations set forth by the ministers of defence and finance to counter insecurity and stabilise the region. “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.
The re-election comes hours after Tinubu was reportedly stepped aside as the chairman of the West African bloc. However, the unanimous decision by fellow Heads of Government confirms his continued leadership of the regional bloc.
ECOWAS has faced challenges in recent years, including a wave of coups in member nations such as Niger Republic, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The regional bloc imposed sanctions on the three nations, which were lifted in February. However, the countries have since left ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
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Niger Republic’s military leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, accused ECOWAS of incompetence in tackling jihadists’ incursion into the region during the AES maiden summit on Saturday in Niamey. “Our people have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS,” Tiani said.
Tinubu was first elected Chairman of the Authority at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the regional bloc held last July in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
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