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AU, UN, Global Diplomats Praise ECOWAS At Lagos Roundtable
PRESS RELEASE
In commemoration of its 50th anniversary, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission), in collaboration with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, convened a landmark ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE ON “ECOWAS, AN AFRICAN MODEL @ 50: RESILIENCE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS” on May 28, 2025, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos.
The historic gathering brought together eminent statesmen, senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, scholars, and civil society leaders to reflect on ECOWAS’s five-decade journey and chart the path forward.In a poignant and symbolic moment, General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former Head of State and the only surviving founding father of ECOWAS, graced the occasion.
Panellists engaged in a robust dialogue on key themes such as regional security, economic integration, democratic consolidation, youth empowerment, and the future of multilateralism in West Africa. Speakers emphasized the need for renewed political will, inclusive governance, and a reimagined vision of integration that reflects the aspirations of West African citizens. The event also served as an opportunity to pay tribute to ECOWAS’s legacy of mediation and peacebuilding, from Liberia and Sierra Leone to Mali and The Gambia, and to acknowledge the vital role of Nigeria as a founding and leading member state.
Speaking at the commemorative roundtable, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, President of the ECOWAS Commission, emphasized the urgent need for unity in addressing insecurity and instability in the region.
“No single nation can combat insecurity alone. We can only do this through collaboration There is need for us to work together. Our response must be according to the threats we are facing. if ECOWAS was not with us, it would have been invented because there is need for ECOWAS. ECOWAS cannot be substituted because despite all our challenges, ECOWAS is still a model of Regional Economic Community on the African continent.”
Dr. Touray also revealed plans for a Special Summit on the Future of ECOWAS, aimed at reflecting on the organization’s achievements over the past 50 years and charting a clear, visionary path forward.
H.E. Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, reflected on ECOWAS’s remarkable journey. “This forum has granted us the opportunity to critically assess ECOWAS’s role in peacekeeping, economic integration, and democratic governance, while confronting emerging challenges such as political instability and economic disparities. ECOWAS has made significant contributions to peacekeeping, economic integration , harmonization of sectoral policies and promotion of democratic governance to strengthen regional solidarity”
Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Ambassador Selma Malika HADDADI, praised ECOWAS as the continent’s benchmark for regional integration.
She said, “When it comes assessing the achievements of ECOWAS at 50, I can comfortably say that what the African Union has envisioned by the founding fathers to achieve is precisely what ECOWAS has been able to achieve in terms of the level of integration, the free movement of people, the customs union and monetary union – all these elements are precisely what we are looking for as a continental organisation. ECOWAS is very frequently used as our reference when we have discussions at the African Union regarding Regional Economic Communities and how to finance the Union through Community levy which ECOWAS has already implemented.”
Mr. Leonardo Santos SIMÃO, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNOWAS lauded ECOWAS’s patient diplomacy and mediation efforts to restore unity in the region, describing such progress as a hallmark of a mature and resilient organization.
“I want to use this opportunity to praise and salute the steps taken so far by ECOWAS by engaging in peaceful and constant dialogue and mediation with the three countries that have left ECOWAS with the aim of reuniting them with the Community. This is an achievement that only a mature organisation such as ECOWAS can go through.”
H.E. Mr. Jean-Claude Kassi BROU, former President of the ECOWAS Commission, celebrated ECOWAS’s infrastructural and economic milestones, including the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and transformative corridor projects like Lagos-Abidjan and Dakar-Lagos. He added that ECOWAS’s peace interventions in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia underscore its pivotal role in regional stability.
In his remarks, Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Board Chair of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs highlighted ECOWAS’s consistent stance against unconstitutional changes in government, its promotion of democracy, and its economic reforms through trade liberalization and the Common External Tariff. Echoing the call for accelerated progress, Aminata TOURÉ, former Prime Minister of Senegal, emphasized the need to urgently address youth unemployment, poverty, and the marginalization of women to ensure inclusive regional development.
As ECOWAS turns 50, the resounding consensus from regional and international leaders is clear: ECOWAS remains a cornerstone of African unity, economic transformation, and peace. Its journey, while not without challenges, continues to inspire the continent and the world.
Ecowas.int
News
BREAKING: Tinubu Gives Three Fresh Appointments
President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of three indigenes of Oyo State to the Surveyors Council of Nigeria.
Naija News learnt that the latest development was confirmed in an appointment letter obtained by Punch, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Ibrahim Abubakar, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
Tinubu appointed Moshood Akinwande as President of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria, alongside Olusoji Adeoye and Olaribigbe Shiyanbola as members of the council representing Oyo State.
According to the letter, the new council members will be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the SGF’s Hall, Shehu Shagari Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
The letter read, “I write with reference to the above subject to forward herewith a copy of Mr President’s approval for the appointment of the President and members of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria and to convey the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s approval for the inauguration of the council as follows.
“The new council members will be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the SGF’s Hall, Shehu Shagari Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
“Members cut across various interest groups, including representatives of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors from the states, academic institutions offering surveying courses, the military, among others.”
Akinwande, a retired director in the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, is a native of Oyo town.
Adeoye is the Surveyor-General of Oyo State, while Shiyanbola, who hails from Ipapo in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of the state, is a former Oyo State Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors and former Secretary of the Board of Fellows of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors.
News
Wike Gives Condition to Resign From Tinubu’s Cabinet, Video Surfaces
Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has publicly dared critics to disprove road construction claims tied to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, staking his resignation on the figures he presented at a commissioning ceremony in Abuja on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Speaking during the inauguration of the reconstructed Arab/Gbazango road in Kubwa, Wike said 221 kilometres of roads have been completed out of 317 kilometres awarded across satellite towns in the FCT since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023
The minister directed his remarks at those he described as detractors of the administration’s urban renewal programme.
Wike said: “The people of the satellite towns have felt the impact of governance. It has never happened in the history of the administration of this country. “If there is anybody who has a contrary view, let him come out and challenge us that all these you are saying is not correct, I will resign as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.”
The event was tagged “Day 28” of a running series of FCT project commissionings, reflecting what the minister characterised as an accelerated delivery of infrastructure across the capital territory.
Legit reports that the Arab/Gbazango Road in Kubwa was among the projects cited as evidence of Tinubu’s administration’s ‘commitment to completing long-neglected routes in residential communities surrounding Abuja’s city centre’.
Wike’s remarks come amid ongoing debate between government officials and opposition figures over the pace and scale of federal infrastructure delivery.
While the minister presented the kilometre figures as evidence of tangible progress, critics have continued to question the scope and quality of projects executed under the current FCT administration
Watch Wike’s video below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6MjoWICVfrgvYOI845/694
News
BREAKING: Mystery Deepens as Fresh Details Emerge in Mary Habila’s Death at Tinubu Minister’s House
The Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice has recommended that a post-mortem examination be conducted to determine the cause of death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, who was found dead at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
The recommendation was contained in a legal advice dated July 15, 2026, and addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ebonyi State Police Command.Radio
According to the document, reportedly obtained by SaharaReporters, the advice followed a police investigation into Habila’s death at the minister’s residence on June 27.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stated that the evidence contained in the police case file was insufficient to establish the cause of her death.
The legal advice noted that Habila was found alone and unresponsive in her apartment, adding that investigators were unable to determine what led to her death based on the available evidence.
According to the DPP, there was nothing in the investigation to suggest that Habila had any known illness or underlying health condition before her sudden death.
“There was no evidence that the deceased was indisposed, sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in company of her team,” the document stated.
The ministry argued that, in the absence of any known medical condition, a scientific examination was necessary to establish the actual cause of death.
“From the foregoing, therefore, the question that would readily come to mind is what exactly caused the deceased’s sudden death?” the DPP queried.
It maintained that a post-mortem examination remained the most appropriate means of providing investigators with a clear direction.
“This curiosity under the law can only be resolved through a post-mortem examination, so as to provide a clue to the police as to the direction of their investigation,” the legal advice added.
The Ministry of Justice further stated that the police could either honour the family’s reported wish to proceed with burial without an autopsy or exercise their statutory powers to order the examination.
“It is therefore the view of this office that the police invoke their discretionary power to either respect the request of the deceased’s family or proceed with the post-mortem examination,” the DPP stated.
The recommendation comes amid growing public interest and conflicting reports over the release of Habila’s body for burial.
Her father, Baba Habila, reportedly visited a morgue in Ebonyi State to receive her remains ahead of a planned burial in Nok, Kaduna State, but declined to comment to journalists.
The family was also reported to have indicated that it did not intend to request an autopsy.
However, Habila’s body had reportedly not been released as investigators continued to consider the Ministry of Justice’s recommendation.
According to reports, Habila arrived at Umahi’s residence on June 26 alongside another woman identified as Anita Baski and was found unresponsive the following morning.
The case was initially reported at the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters before it was transferred to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
Minister of Works David Umahi later confirmed that Habila died at his residence, describing her as a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences to the Federal Ministry of Works.
Umahi also disclosed that he had encouraged the family to consent to an autopsy to establish the cause of death.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters, citing unnamed police sources, reported that investigators were examining aspects of Habila’s employment history and her relationship with the university and the Federal Ministry of Works.
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