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ECOWAS pledges continuous engagement with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic after exit, grants visa-free movement
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said it would continue to engage with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic, in spite of their formal withdrawal from the bloc on Wednesday.
The President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, made this known at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
Touray said that this was in line with the decision of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, which was taken during their Summit on Dec.15, 2024 in Abuja.
According to him, such is also in the spirit of regional solidarity and in the interest of the people
He noted that the bloc was still open to the three countries’ return.
He disclosed that two of the exiting Sahel countries had already officially contacted the commission for further engagements to that effect.
Touray called on all relevant authorities within and outside ECOWAS member states to take note of the unfolding development.
He urged them to treat the national passports and identity cards bearing ECOWAS logo held by the citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as still valid, until further notice.
Touray also urged them to treat goods and services coming from the three countries in accordance with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and investment policy.
He said citizens of the three countries would be allowed to continue enjoying the rights of visa free movement, residence and establishment, in accordance with extant ECOWAS protocols, until further notice.
Touray further said the commission would continue to provide full support and cooperation to ECOWAS officials who are citizens of the three countries in the course of their assignments for the Community.
“These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the three countries by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
“The Commission has set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries.
“This message is necessary to avoid confusion and disruption in the lives and businesses of our people during this transition period,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three Sahel countries had on Jan. 29, 2024, declared their intention to quit ECOWAS within 12 months in line with the provisions of Article 91 of the bloc’s protocol.
The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government had in Dec.,2024, approved the three countries’ right to quit but said ECOWAS doors were still open to their return to the subregional bloc.
It would be recalled that the Sahel states had hitherto been hit by violent extremism and terrorism orchestrated by marauding Islamist jihadists emanating mostly from North Africa and the Middle-East.
Notably, this was one of the reasons that the rebelling military rulers gave for seizing power earlier in the their countries.
They accused ECOWAS leaders of being too aligned with Western powers, especially France, at the detriment of their own countries.
The trio said their decision to exit the bloc was also in protest against ECOWAS’ hardline position over the coups in their countries, the imposition of sanctions, as well as the threat of military invasion.
The putchists are now aligned with Russia to fight the armed jihadists, who are currently orchestrating terrorism against their countries.
They have therefore severed all preexisting Western military alliances and presence in their countries.
The military rulers had seized power following a series of coups between 2020 and 2023.
ECOWAS initially responded by imposing sanctions against them, demanding a quick restoration of civilian rule, and threatening to use military force, before backing down.
To demonstrate that they were prepared to match their words with actions, the three countries later went on to sign a tripartite defence treaty and a new confederation – the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), as an alternative to ECOWAS.
They have now made real their “irrevocable” decision to quit ECOWAS, exactly one year after declaring their intention to quit the bloc.
This has become a reality, in spite of ECOWAS leaders’ lifting of some of the sanctions imposed earlier and the deployment of germane diplomatic efforts to enable them to rescind their threat to exit.(NAN)
A group of concerned citizens has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to sabotage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms on local refineries.
The group, Concerned Nigerians led by its National Coordinator Obinna Francis, claims to have uncovered a sinister plot to stop the supply of crude oil to domestic refineries.
According to Francis, the plot is being orchestrated by a cabal within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), in collaboration with importers of fake petrol.
The group alleges that this cabal is seeking to undermine the government’s economic reforms, which have led to a significant reduction in fuel prices and a subsequent decrease in the cost of food items.
The concerned citizens believe that the plot is driven by a desire to return Nigeria to the era of petrol importation and the reintroduction of subsidies.
They argue that cutting off crude oil supply to domestic refineries would create a shortage of refined products, forcing the country to import fuel.
The group claims that the cabal has been manipulating officials in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to justify the planned refusal to supply crude oil to local refineries.
They also allege that the cabal has the support of individuals seeking regime change, who hope to capitalize on public anger and protests to bring down the government.
Francis added: “The members of the cabal, working through certain officials of NNPCL, have been manipulating their colleagues in the NUPRC, which has responsibility for overseeing the supply of crude oil to refineries in Nigeria.
“Their plot includes sabotaging exploration and distribution infrastructure to justify the planned refusal to cut off crude supplies. This unholy alliance has the support of individuals who have been angling for a regime change.
“Our suspicion is that while the NNPCL/NUPRC cabal pursue the monetary gains of truncating the steady supply of refined products, their political wing anticipates that a disruption in refining capacity would lead to petrol scarcity, drive fuel prices up and hike food prices with the attendant anger against the government of the day.
“They desire to weaponize such public anger into anti-government protests that would bring the administration down. We are concerned that if not stopped, this plot will undo all the gains that have been made in the implementation of economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and doom us all.
“We are further concerned that such a plot at this critical time of our economic evolution would plunge the country into an abyss from which it may never resurface.”
The concerned citizens are calling on President Tinubu and the Department of State Services (DSS) to intervene and prevent the plot from being executed. They praised the president’s economic reforms, which have driven Nigeria towards energy sustainability and revived the oil industry.
The group warned that if the plot is not stopped, it would undo all the gains made by the government and plunge the country into economic chaos.
They urged the president to ensure that no one in NNPCL, NUPRC, or any other connected agency undermines the achievements recorded in the sector.
Actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot has become a hot topic online after a video surfaced showing his emotional reaction on Monday, shortly after Mojisola Meranda resigned as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Earlier, SPEARNEWS reported that Ms Meranda announced her resignation during a plenary session.
Following her resignation, the impeached Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, was reinstated to his former position.
In a viral video, Mr Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency 1 in the Assembly, was emotional over Ms Meranda’s resignation.
Dressed in a black native outfit, the 51-year-old attempted to deliver a farewell speech but was overcome with emotion and struggled to hold back tears.
At one point in the viral video, he found it difficult to continue speaking and requested that another lawmaker take the floor while he composed himself.
“Madam Speaker, can you allow others to speak first?” he asked.
Ms Meranda responded, “Have your seat,” prompting him to sit down, covering his face with one hand as he wiped away tears.
Seyi Lawal, an All Progressives Congress (APC) representative from Ikeja Constituency 1, was granted permission to speak in place of Mr Elliot, who has served in the House since April 2015.
Kano State government has made arrangements to feed 91,000 people in 91 designated centres during the 2025 Ramadan Feeding Programme.
Flagging off the feeding programme in m Fagge Local Government Area on Sunday evening, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the programme, Alhaji Aminu Abdulsalam, said that that the initiative would run for 27 days.
He said that the programme was aimed at supporting vulnerable residents and would provide daily iftar meals to fasting Muslims, alleviating the challenges faced during Ramadan.
“Since the assumption of office, Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf, has institutionalised this initiative to support vulnerable residents by providing daily iftar meals during the holy month of Ramadan.
“The programme, which is part of the state’s annual humanitarian efforts, aims to alleviate the difficulties faced by fasting Muslims during Ramadan.
“Recognising the needs of the state’s large population of Ramadan observers, the Kano State Government remains committed to ensuring that relief reaches those in need,” he explained.
Abdulsalam expressed satisfaction with the seamless commencement of the initiative.
He further urged the catering companies involved to ensure prompt and efficient delivery of meals to all feeding centers, in order to achieve the programme’s objectives.
Abdulsalam was accompanied by key officials, including the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, as well as his counterpart in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Tijjani Auwal. (NAN)