President Bola Tinubu has called on Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to work towards establishing and sustaining a regional standby force for the security and economic advancement of the community.
FTN reports that Tinubu made the plea on Sunday, during the opening of the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Abuja.
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Tinubu, who was re-elected at the meeting as the Chairman of the regional bloc, highlighted the practicality of a standby force in the face of growing security threats.
He also urged member states to commit more to providing the needed resources for securing the region.
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He said, “The Regional Action Plan against Terrorism has enhanced cooperation on training, intelligence sharing, and humanitarian interventions. In addition to this, the Ministers of Finance and Defence met recently in Abuja to raise funds for activating the ECOWAS Standby Force to boost counter-terrorism efforts.
“Member countries are also displaying their commitment to combating insecurity by individually increasing their defence budgets in order to acquire necessary equipment and ensure preparedness.
“Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potential. As we move to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasize that the success of this plan requires not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources.
“We must, therefore, ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our Ministers of Defence and Finance, in order to counter insecurity and stabilize our region.’’
Speaking further, Tinubu advised ECOWAS leaders to leverage the capabilities of Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
The President urged the management of ECOWAS to re-align and reposition its priorities by reducing overheads and setting up in-country steering committees.
He stated, “Difficult economic conditions and inconsistent payment of financial commitments to ECOWAS have contributed to the current plight. To ensure ECOWAS has adequate resources for its programmes and activities, I urge all member states to ensure full compliance with the Protocol on the Community Levy.
“Nigeria, under my leadership, is committed to leading by example in remitting its collected levies to the organization. Nevertheless, the ECOWAS management must also reduce its overhead expenditures and focus on programmes and activities that directly impact the lives of our citizens.
“I am aware of the progress report on the implementation of the ECOWAS Institutional Reforms. I therefore call on the President of the ECOWAS Commission to resume and expedite the conclusion of the second phase of the Institutional Reforms, aimed at reducing the organization’s operational costs.”
Tinubu also welcomed a new member of the Authority, Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, stressing that the recently concluded presidential election has been widely adjudged as free, fair, transparent, and credible.
He added, “Allow me to further extend warm congratulations to the Government and people of the Republic of Senegal for their steadfastness in the consolidation of democratic governance.
“Their recently concluded presidential election has been widely adjudged as free, fair, transparent, and credible. This achievement is a testament to our region’s commitment to the principles of democracy, good governance, and rule of law.”
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