The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have announced that the community will continue to persuade Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to return to the bloc.
The presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale announced the recent decision on Friday in a statement released in Abuja, Nigeria.
The statement noted that the recent decision was communicated on Friday when the president met with the ECOWAS defence chiefs in the state house in Abuja.
The statement noted that the government will continue to enhance the security of the region while protecting the constitutional government. Tinubu explained that his time as chairman of ECOWAS has been a hard nut to crack since three member states in the region exited due to some grievances.
The president noted that despite the challenges, the community will continue to engage them with the long-term plan of having them join the commission again soon. He noted that the state will continue to be persuaded to join back.
The Nigerian president noted that a collective assembly of the heads of state is the better way to work together; he noted that they would be given more reasons to return as members.
Speaking further, the ECOWAS chairman noted that the challenges facing the content, like insecurity, have led to terrorism, can only be resolved when different countries join hands together in the fight against it.
Tinubu charged the ECOWAS standard forces always to be ready, noting that their readiness is a must every time. He noted that investment in security will always continue as all member states continue to invest in economic opportunities that will bring prosperity to the region.
Reacting, Christopher Musa, chairman of the ECOWAS chiefs of defence staff, explained that the issue of insurgency and unconstitutional changes of government in the region can only be addressed when everyone takes collective steps.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso had cut ties with the ECOWAS after different sanctions were imposed on them by the community after the military took over the activities of the respective countries.
In February 2024, the ECOWAS lifted the Travel and Economic sanctions placed on the three countries; the sanctions earlier were meant to persuade the countries to return to the democratic system of government, but the travel sanctions failed to persuade them as military rule still stayed in the countries.
The reasons for the lifting of the sanction were said to be on humanitarian grounds.
