Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, has replaced Umaro Sissoco Embaló as the head of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, and is now in charge of the organization for the upcoming 12 months.
At his first engagement on the African continent since taking office in May, he made the announcement during the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Ecowas leadership.
President Tinubu promised to uphold the office’s responsibilities and lead the regional organization in an inclusive manner.
“We’ll treat democracy with seriousness. Though incredibly difficult, democracy is the best type of government, he claimed.
As a result of the actions of Islamist extremist groups and political unrest brought on by military coups in some countries, he continued, the area was under threat from insecurity.
“The threat has grown alarmingly serious, necessitating immediate action to solve the problems. Indeed, the region’s progress and development will continue to be illusive without a peaceful environment, he remarked.
In this sense, he continued, “we must continue to be committed to using all regional frameworks at our disposal to address the threat of insecurity.”
His election as chairman of Ecowas comes as a legal challenge to the validity of his victory in the Nigerian election is still pending.
