PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has sent some of his cabinet members to the governments of Republic of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso over the trio’s recent move to exit the regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Daily Trust reports.
Tinubu’s team, comprising the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru and his counterpart from Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar and other top government functionaries, were led by the President of ECOWAS, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.
This newspaper had reported how Nigeria might be affected in the area of security and economy, according to experts following the exit of the trio as the country continues to grapples with insurgency and dwindling economy.
The three countries, who officially took a sovereign decision on Sunday, January 28, to pull out from ECOWAS were sanctioned by the regional bloc for enforcing a military regime and severing diplomatic ties with France, their former colonial masters.
Speaking at the extraordinary session of the mediation and security council of the bloc, Amb. Tuggar said the team came up with possible solutions for the pressing challenges facing members states, such as climate change, violent extremism, migration, organized crimes, among others.
The spokesman of the Defence ministry, Henshaw Ogubike, quoted the Defence Minister, Badaru, to have said that Nigeria was committed to regional security cooperation with other members of ECOWAS countries.
Badaru, who attended the session alongside other defence ministers from across the ECOWAS community deliberated on pressing security matters affecting the region, emphasising the importance of collective action in addressing regional security challenges.
“Nigeria remains committed to working hand in hand with our ECOWAS counterparts to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens,” Nigeria’s defence minister was quoted by Ogubike.
The President of ECOWAS, Touray explained that this was the right time to come together as members of the bloc and solve our common problem.
