By Ayo Yusuf
As the profile of Nigeria’s new president continues to rise, there are indications that he may emerge the next chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who leaves Abuja on Saturday ahead of the Sunday summit of the heads of state of the regional political and economic bloc holding in Bissau, capital of Guinea Bissau, is expected to be elected to head the regional body by the end of the meeting.
Sources said the Nigerian leader will most probably take over from the current chairman, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau whose tenure comes to an end.
According to Diplomatic sources, President Tinubu is highly thought of in the region and Nigeria’s overwhelming contributions to the upkeep of the regional body makes it unlikely that its president would be refused such a honour if the country makes a formal bid for the position.
Almost every Nigerian president from 1978 have chaired the Ecowas body with President Muhammadu Buhari holding the position in 2018.
Tinubu, who succeeded Buhari as Nigerian president in May 2023, will be making his first international outing on the African continent at the ECOWAS meeting.
He is scheduled to leave Abuja for Guinea-Bissau to attend the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in Bissau, capital of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
A press statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake, said the summit is expected to address memoranda on pressing sub-regional issues, including a report of the 50th ordinary session of the mediation and security council covering security challenges faced by the member countries, the report of the 90th ordinary session of ECOWAS council of ministers on the financial situation of the body, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as a report on the status of transition in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. was formed in 1975 and currently has 15 member states with a combined population of 387 million and nominal GDP of $816 billion.
The member states of ECOWAS include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
It is hope that President Tinubu’s visit will be as successful as his highly praised performance at the recent summit for ‘A New Global Financing Pact’ hosted by French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, France, in June.
