{"id":194,"date":"2025-06-01T21:18:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T21:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=194"},"modified":"2025-06-01T23:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T23:40:02","slug":"lets-sustain-legacies-of-ecowass-founding-fathers-tinubu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=194","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s sustain legacies of ECOWAS\u2019s founding fathers \u2013 Tinubu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to uphold and pass on the vision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) \u2018s founding fathers as the regional bloc marks its 50th anniversary<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanguardngr.com\/2025\/05\/lets-sustain-legacies-of-ecowass-founding-fathers-tinubu\/\">.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a keynote address on Wednesday in Lagos, the President urged leaders to look beyond the artificial borders created by colonialists and embrace one another as a family, Mr Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Burna Boy - Higher [Official Music Video]\" width=\"980\" height=\"551\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eKzmRnetw-c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Tinubu, the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, noted that the founding fathers foresaw a more united, harmonious, and purpose-driven regional bloc that would benefit many generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToday, we celebrate not only five decades of history but the enduring spirit of unity, resilience, and shared destiny that defines our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn 1975, our founding leaders envisioned a West Africa where borders unite rather than divide \u2013 a region of free movement, thriving trade, and peaceful coexistence. That vision is still alive,\u201d said Tinubu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The President said the regional bloc had lived up to the founders\u2019 expectations in many respects, including peacekeeping, trade liberalisation, free movement of citizens, and working together to tackle security issues and global pandemics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cECOWAS is a beacon of African unity. In overcoming colonial legacies, we brought together Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone nations under one vision \u2014an achievement of global significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur region has pioneered free movement, expanded intra-regional trade, and deepened integration through instruments like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and Joint Border Posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese measures have facilitated business, cultural exchange, and mobility across West Africa,\u201d Tinubu stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On peace and security, he said ECOWAS had acted decisively to restore constitutional order and counter instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur regional cooperation on counterterrorism and financial crime, including through GIABA, reflects our shared commitment to peace and safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn governance, ECOWAS has upheld democratic norms through election observation, mediation, and institutions such as the ECOWAS Parliament and Court of Justice \u2014 cementing accountability, rule of law, and people-centred governance,\u201d the President stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Tinubu pointed to progress in agriculture, infrastructure, and digital innovation, singling out the ECOWAS Infrastructure Master Plan (2020\u20132045) and new platforms advancing regional growth and gender equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, he emphasised the need for more vigorous policy implementation and urged member states to ensure citizens felt the tangible benefits of integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur young people and women \u2013 who form the majority \u2013 must be at the heart of ECOWAS development. We must invest deliberately in their education, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and leadership. Their success is the key to our future stability and prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor nearly 40 years, Nigeria has supported regional capacity building through the Technical Aid Corps. We remain committed to deploying skilled professionals to ECOWAS countries and will continue to honour every eligible request,\u201d the President added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He urged leaders to close their ranks and work together to ensure the success of the economic bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs we look to the next fifty years, let us renew our compact with one another \u2013 with courage, clarity, and conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe work of integration is never done. Each generation must carry the flame forward, lighting the path of unity and shared progress for those who come after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLet us imagine a West Africa where our borders are zones of cooperation, not conflict; where our economies thrive through joint effort; and where our people, diverse yet bound by destiny, walk together toward peace, prosperity, and justice,\u201d he said. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanguardngr.com\/2025\/05\/lets-sustain-legacies-of-ecowass-founding-fathers-tinubu\/\">(Vanguard)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to uphold and pass on the vision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) \u2018s founding fathers as the regional bloc marks its 50th anniversary. In a keynote address on Wednesday in Lagos, the President urged leaders to look beyond the artificial borders created [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[265,262,261,263,264],"class_list":["post-194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-bayo-onanuga","tag-bola-tinubu","tag-economic-community-of-west-african-states","tag-ecowas-trade-liberalisation-scheme","tag-west-africa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Let\u2019s sustain legacies of ECOWAS\u2019s founding fathers \u2013 Tinubu - Tona Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to uphold and pass on the vision of the Economic Community of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=194\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let\u2019s sustain legacies of ECOWAS\u2019s founding fathers \u2013 Tinubu - 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