President Bola Tinubu assumed the role of Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States Authority of the Heads of State and Government on July 9, 2023.
Attending the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Forum of West African Leaders for the first time, Tinubu was officially chosen as the Chairman in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau.
Tinubu replaced President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau as the head of the sub-regional political and economic organization. As the chairman, his primary role entails steering the ECOWAS member nations toward economic prosperity, political steadiness, and collaborative efforts.
Nevertheless, Tinubu is not the first Nigerian president to assume the position of chairman within this African sub-regional entity.
Below is a compilation of Nigerian Presidents who have assumed the chairmanship of ECOWAS, along with the corresponding time frame that they held the position:
The former military head of state, General Sani Abacha, was crowned chairman of ECOWAS for over a year. He served as chairman from July 27, 1996, to June 8, 1998.
The former president, Abdulsalami Abubakar, was also chairman from June 9, 1998, to 1999. The late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua became Chairman on December 19, 2008, until February 18, 2010.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan was appointed Chairman on February 18, 2010, until February 17, 2012. President Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, was the chairman of ECOWAS from July 31st, 2018 to June 29th, 2019.
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