…Tinubu Bows Out with Call for Unity and Democracy West African leaders have chosen President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone as the new Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, bringing Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s two-term tenure to a close. The announcement was made during the 67th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where the symbolic handover of the community’s emblem marked the transition of...
…Seeks Recommitment Of Member States The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Omar Alieu Touray has said that the regional body is stronger together as a community. He also urged member states to recommit themselves to strengthening the regional body. Touray, in his welcome address during the celebration of the 50 years anniversary of the Commission in Lagos on Wednesday, outlined the various achievements recorded as a body. He said, “In...
Libya’s Education Minister, Moussa al-Megarief, has been handed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence due to a textbook shortage dating back to 2021, according to the attorney general’s office on Sunday. The Tripoli court of appeal also imposed a fine of 1,000 dinars (approximately ₦320,000) and stripped him of his civil rights for the duration of his sentence and an additional year thereafter. Megarief, a member of the national unity government, faced accusations of favouritism in managing...
The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, on Friday, declared the case concerning Khalifa Abiola and two others and the Federal Government of Nigeria over alleged claims of human rights violations involving late Mrs Kudirat Abiola as inadmissible. The case filed under suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/62/22 was brought before the Court by the applicants, Khalifa Abiola, Moriam Abiola and Hadi Abiola suing on behalf of themselves and the estate of late Kudirat whom they alleged to have...
The 5th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum meeting holding in Maiduguri, Borno state that would discuss the multi-faceted challenges facing Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger had so far received 800 delegates. Baba Malam-Wali, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the forum, who is also the Secretary to the Yobe State Government (SSG), disclosed this at a pre-forum joint press briefing in Maiduguri. He said challenges of security; climate resilience, food security, socioeconomic recovery,...
…Expresses Confidence Mahama’s Govt Will Work With Nigeria To Strengthen Bond President Bola Tinubu has said that his government and that of John Mahama, newly inaugurated president of Ghana will join hands to lift Nigeria and Ghana out of poverty. Tinubu also expressed confidence that the new government under the leadership of President John Mahama, will work with Nigeria to strengthen a powerful bond, leading to greater shared prosperity for both nations. The President made...
The French Defence Ministry said on Friday that it has begun the withdrawal of its soldiers from Chad after N’djamena last month abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial power. The ministry said in a statement on Facebook that a contingent of 120 soldiers had already left the African country and returned to France, which marked 10 days after French fighter aircraft left the Sahel country. “At midday, 120 French soldiers took off from...
For the first time in 19 years, Nigeria has fully met its financial obligations to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by paying 100 per cent of its community levy. The payment, totalling ₦84 billion and $54 million, covers Nigeria’s contributions for 2023 and extends through July 2024. The announcement was made by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, during the 66th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads...
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has formally approved the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional bloc, effective 29 January 2025. This decision was announced in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of an ECOWAS summit held on Sunday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, read the communiqué, stating, “The authority takes note of the notification by Burkina Faso, Republic of Mali, and...
The ECOWAS Court of Justice on Thursday dismissed a suit brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, seeking N50 million in compensation for each victim of the Abuja–Kaduna train attack, which occurred in March 2022. Recall that on 28 March 2022, terrorists bombed a section of the Abuja–Kaduna rail line near Rigasa, Kaduna. The explosion targeted a passenger train carrying over 970 people, resulting in 10 fatalities, injuries, and abductions. More than 150...
