President Buhari Attends ECOWAS Summit In Niger Republic on Monday
…COVID-19, economy, security, and democracy top agenda
President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja on Monday for Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic to participate in the 57th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
The one-day summit is expected to deliberate on the alarming rise in incidents of terrorism, insurgency, armed banditry and piracy which would come under special focus.
Similarly, the disruption of the democratic process by the military in Mali, will receive further attention.
This is as a Special Report on COVID-19 would be presented by President Buhari, who was appointed the ECOWAS Champion on the Fight against COVID-19 during the Extraordinary Virtual Summit of ECOWAS which held on April 23, 2020.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said that as a champion, Buhari was expected to coordinate the sub-regional response against the pandemic.
Shehu said that in furtherance of that objective, under the supervision of the Champion, Nigerian Ministers of Health, Aviation and Finance were appointed Chairpersons of the Ministerial Coordination Committees on Health; Transport, Logistics and Trade; and Finance respectively.
Shehu said that the Summit will also receive a Special Report on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme to be presented by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), and President Alassane Ouattara, who is Chair of the West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU/UEMOA).
According to the statement; “The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Claude Kassi Brou will present to the West African leaders, the 2020 Interim Report on activities of the sub-regional body including ECOWAS Vision 2050.
“Similarly, in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Niger where parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for this year, the imperative to strengthen democracy in the sub-region by respecting constitutional provisions, rule of law and outcomes of free and fair polls, will be emphasised.
President Buhari, who will be accompanied to the Summit by ministers and other top government officials, will return to Abuja after the meeting.
