Janet Samuel
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has called on West African media practitioners to shift focus from the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), emphasizing instead the need to highlight economic development across the sub-region.
Tuggar made this call during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament, led by its Speaker, Rt. Hon. Memounatou Ibrahima, to his office in Abuja on Friday. The visit was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen democratic governance ahead of the Parliament’s 25th anniversary celebration scheduled for November.
The Minister stressed the importance of spotlighting progress among the twelve remaining ECOWAS member states through policies and initiatives such as the West African Power Pool, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, and regional infrastructure projects like the Abidjan-Lagos and Abidjan-Dakar corridors.
He described the ECOWAS Parliament as a vital institution that reflects the democratic will of the citizens across member states and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening regional integration.
On the withdrawal of the three Sahel nations, Tuggar expressed confidence that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—who exited ECOWAS after military takeovers—would eventually return to the bloc.
“We will continue to work hard towards the success of ECOWAS, and the progress we make will encourage our brothers to return. The door remains open, and it’s only a matter of time before they come back—they are integral to the region,” Tuggar said.
He added that despite their formal exit, Nigeria and other ECOWAS states will continue to maintain neighborly relations and collaborate in key areas of mutual interest.
Speaker Ibrahima, accompanied by the Fourth Deputy Speaker, Billay Tunkara, and Secretary General, Bertin Some, briefed the Minister on the Parliament’s activities over the last 18 months and its vision for the future.
The meeting also featured discussions on ECOWAS at 50, which was marked in Lagos on May 28, as well as efforts to enhance the legislative role of the ECOWAS Parliament moving forward.
“We discussed how to strengthen the Parliament’s capacity and legislative role in support of ECOWAS programmes,” the Togolese Speaker noted.
