President Bola Tinubu was elected Chair of the Bureau of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government over the weekend.
Tinubu, who attended the West African Leaders Forum for the first time during the 63rd Ordinary Session, was officially elected president in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. Tinubu succeeds President Umaro Cissoko Embalo of Guinea-Bissau as Head of the Subregional Political and Economic Agency.
He will be responsible for guiding ECOWAS member states towards economic growth, political stability and cooperation as Chair.
The President of the Economic Community of West African States is a position held by one of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States, chosen in rotation for a period of one year. Former President Buhari held the position from 2018 to 2019. Although this role does not confer executive authority, the Chairman plays a strategic role in conflict resolution, advocacy, and communication with the ECOWAS Commission Chair, whose Executive Director is responsible for the management and implementation of the ECOWAS Commission. History of ECOWAS policies and decisions.
President Tinubu, described Weah as “level-headed” and hailed him for receiving a delegation from West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) former Burkina prime minister, and one-time president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Kadre Ouedraogo including former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan as they today began a three-day pre-election assessment mission to the Republic of Liberia.
Shortly after their arrival in Monro, they met with His Excellency President George Manneh Weah, the leaders of the National Assembly, as well as the Judiciary, to kick start their consultations with relevant stakeholders ahead of October elections.
However, Tinubu is not the first Nigerian president to become the chair of the African Sub-Regional Authority.
Below is a list of Nigerian Presidents who have chaired ECOWAS and the term they have led:
Sani Abacha – (27 July 1996 – 8 June 1998), Abdulsalami Abubakar – (9 June 1998 – 1999), Umaru Musa Yar’Adua – (19 December 2008 – 18 February 2010), Goodluck Jonathan – (18 February 2010 – 17 February 2012), Muhammadu Buhari – (31 July 2018 – 29 June 2019), Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria (9 July 2023 till date).
Source; Punch newspapers.
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