On Tuesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will leave Abuja for Lagos to participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), marking five decades of regional integration and cooperation.
This Lagos event follows last month’s official kickoff in Accra, Ghana, where President Tinubu, the current Chairman of ECOWAS, will lead a ceremonial reenactment of the 1975 declaration that established the organization. The ceremony is set to occur at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island, a venue rich in diplomatic significance.
The commemoration will also feature General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Nigeria’s former military leader and the last surviving signatory of the original ECOWAS treaty, who will deliver a keynote address during the main celebration at Eko Hotels and Suites. Dr. Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, will provide the official welcome at the event.
In line with the significance of the occasion, President Tinubu is anticipated to highlight ECOWAS’s achievements over the past 50 years, emphasizing its contributions to peacekeeping, democratic transitions, and regional development, according to a statement from his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Additionally, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Chairman of the NIIA and former Minister of External Affairs, will review ECOWAS’s progression, followed by panel discussions featuring scholars and experts on the body’s evolution, challenges, and future.
This golden jubilee celebration is a component of a broader initiative by ECOWAS under Tinubu’s leadership to revitalize the bloc amidst significant challenges like security threats and recent military coups in certain member countries.
Alongside his ECOWAS responsibilities, President Tinubu will unveil several major infrastructure projects during his time in Lagos, demonstrating his administration’s commitment to accelerated development under the Renewed Hope Agenda. On Saturday, May 31, he is set to commission Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, crucial for trade, tourism, and urban growth.
He will also inaugurate the Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road to enhance logistics and port competitiveness in the region, along with the launch of Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the commissioning of the 7th Axial Road, aimed at improving connectivity in Nigeria’s growing economic zones.
In a demonstration of national outreach, President Tinubu will virtually commission several road projects in the North, such as the Kano-Kanwar-Danja-Hadejiya Section II Road and the Yakasai-Zalli Road. He will also initiate new construction on the Kano Northern By-pass, Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai Section I, Dabai-Kafur Malumfashi, and Malumfashi-Dayi-Yashe-Gidan Mutum Daya Section III.
These initiatives are part of the Tinubu administration’s national infrastructure strategy designed to enhance productivity, reduce transportation costs, and create jobs across Nigeria’s six geopolitical regions.
Additionally, the President is expected to participate in Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House in Dodan Barracks, Ikoyi, before returning to Abuja.
