Nigeria: Tinubu sends delegation to Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso over exit from ECOWAS
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent some of his cabinet members to the governments of Republic of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso over the trio’s recent move to exit the regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The team, comprises the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru and his counterpart from Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar and other top government functionaries, was led by the President of ECOWAS, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.
The three countries, who officially took a sovereign decision on Sunday, 28 January, to pull out from ECOWAS, were sanctioned by the regional bloc for enforcing a military regime and severing diplomatic ties with France, their former colonial master.
Speaking at the extraordinary session of the Mediation and Security Council of the bloc, Ambassador Tuggar said the team came up with possible solutions for the pressing challenges facing members States, such as climate change, violent extremism, migration, organized crimes, among others.
Spokesperson of Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence, Henshaw Ogubike, quoted the Defence Minister, Badaru, to have said that Nigeria was committed to regional security cooperation with other members of ECOWAS countries.
Badaru, who attended the session alongside other Defence Ministers from across the ECOWAS community, deliberated on pressing security matters affecting the region, emphasizing the importance of collective action in addressing regional security challenges.
“Nigeria remains committed to working hand in hand with our ECOWAS counterparts to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens,” Nigeria’s Defence Minister was quoted by Ogubike.
The President of ECOWAS, Touray explained that "this is the right time to come together as members of the bloc and solve our common problem".
-0-PANA MON/RA 10 Feb2024
