President Bola Tinubu on Sunday named Senegalese President, Diomaye Faye and Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé Special Envoys to mediate between the ECOWAS bloc and Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic.
Tinubu made the first appointments shortly after he was re-elected as the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
Recall that the three West African nations have consistently shunned every efforts to get them back to the ECOWAS fold, after the military coup that brought their leaders to power.
The President’s mandate was extended at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on Sunday in Abuja, as ECOWAS leaders opted for continuity and consistency in meeting targets on security, reconciliation, and development.
Nigeria’s president was first elected to the position in Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023.
In his acceptance speech on Sunday, President Tinubu said he would focus on “consolidating the values of democracy and upholding the interest of the regional body, which will clock 50 years in 2025”
The Chairman of ECOWAS appointed the President of Senegal, announced the appointment of Senegalese President, Bassirou Faye, who joined he meeting for the first time, and the President of Togo, . Faure Gnassingbé, as Special Envoys to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic.
“I have appointed the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to please become our Special Envoy to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic, along with the President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, to do around the clock work with our brothers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic, and to coordinate with me and the ECOWAS Commission, where necessary.
The President also stated that he has “accepted to continue the service to the great members and the great minds that are committed to democratic values and our journey in the region.
“I will continue to serve our interest and build on democratic values and the structure that we inherited. Thank you very much,’’ the President said.
President Tinubu while speaking earlier, called on Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to work towards the establishment and sustenance of a regional standby force for the security and economic advancement of the community.
The President emphasized the expediency of a standby force in the face of growing security threats in the region.
