President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government says ECOWAS will continue to persuade the military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to return their nations to the fold.
President Tinubu, reaffirmed the position of the regional body at a meeting with ECOWAS Chiefs of Defense Staff on Friday in Abuja.
“It is in our hearts to make sure that security is enhanced and that constitutional government is defended and promoted in our region.
“It has been a challenging tenure for me since three members indicated their exit. We will work hard to persuade them to return, whichever way.
“No one man is smarter than the group of heads that is here. We will do everything to offer a hand of friendship to them and give them reasons to come back to us,” Tinubu said.
He commended the defense chiefs for their commitment to regional stability and protection of constitutional governance.
“The solution to terrorism and other challenges lies in our hands. We have to do it together.
“The ECOWAS standby force must be ready. We will continue to invest in this, as well as in the economic prosperity and opportunities across our region,” he said.
In his speech, Chairman ECOWAS Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa disclosed that the Defense Chiefs had agreed to collectively address the issues of insurgency and unconstitutional changes in government in the region.
He pledged the commitment of the defense chiefs to work in unison to ensure the security and safety of the West African sub-region.
Gen. Musa said the meeting also proposed standby force to enhance the capacity of ECOWAS military component, stressing that a decision had been made to deploy 1,200 troops to Sierra Leone, with countries making pledges to support this effort.
“We are aware that the ECOWAS Ministers of Finance will meet to discuss the issue of funding, which is another very critical aspect. We also looked at the issue of logistics,” he said.
Musa stated that good governance, peace and security are essential for achieving long-term stability in balance between military and the political components.
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