President of the Nigerian Senate, GODSWILL AKPABIO has led others West African leaders in a call for unity, solidarity and collaboration as the sub-region grapples with challenges of disintegration.
Speaking at the Opening of the 2025 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament on Tuesday in Abuja, Senator AKPABIO said they must not allow their borders to divide their minds.
He urged every member of the community to renew their pledge to build a united West Africa where their economies thrive, their cultures flourish, and their children inherit a legacy of peace, prosperity, and unshakable unity.
“As we gather here in Abuja, the beating heart of our great region, we must remind ourselves of the foundational vision of ECOWAS – a vision of a united, economically robust, and politically stable West Africa. It was this dream that inspired our founding fathers to create a community where the barriers of borders would dissolve into corridors of collaboration, where our economic strength would fuel prosperity for all, and where our political unity would stand as a bulwark against external interference” he said.
He stated that: “today, as we face the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world, this vision remains as critical as ever. Yet, we must also confront the hard truths of our present reality. For despite the undeniable strides we have made, significant challenges persist – challenges that demand our immediate attention and decisive action.”
The President of the Ecowas Commission, Dr OMAR ALIEU TOURAY, confirmed that a contingency and negotiation plan for the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali was drafted at an extraordinary Council of Ministers in Accra, Ghana in December, 2024.
TOURAY said direct talks with the three countries are set to commence this week emphasizing that ECOWAS remains committed to ensuring that the separation process does not harm citizens.
“Before coming back to you to present my report on the State of the Community, allow me to inform you that in accordance with the Decisions of our Heads of State and Government of December 16, 2024, an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers held in Accra, from 22nd to 23rd April, to consider the draft contingency plan for the withdrawal of the three Sahel countries. At the end of its session, Council took a decision to adopt a holistic negotiation plan for all ECOWAS member states, including a strategic orientation for the negotiations. This week, we will commence direct discussions with the three countries on the methodology of the negotiations. The position of ECOWAS is that the separation of the three countries should not come at the expense of the community citizens”.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, MEMOUNATOU IBRAHIMA expressed gratitude to the Government and People of Nigeria, acknowledged the contribution of other ECOWAS institutions, noting the cooperation among regional bodies in advancing integration.
She stated that the two weeks session with the theme: “ECOWAS at 50; Parliament at 25: Reflections on the Community Parliament towards attaining regional integration”, will consider critical agenda items, including reports from earlier meetings, the Ecowas Commission President’s update on Community activities, proposed community acts, and country reports from member states delegations.
