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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)
The National Economic Council on Thursday kicked against the current livestock rearing system in Nigeria, saying there is a need to change from the old ways to modern practice.
The Council, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, took the stand during its meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting comes amidst the spate of attacks in parts of the country, including Plateau, Benue, and Kwara States where scores of citizens have been killed by suspected gunmen.
Briefing State House Correspondents shortly after the meeting, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State said NEC emphasised the need to work towards modernising livestock production in Nigeria.
“Council emphasised the fact that we cannot continue to live in the past, and we must now work towards modernising livestock production in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the council noted that the current system of animal husbandry in the country is fuelling the farmers/herders clash, as witnessed recently in parts of the country.
Governor Diri explained that the new Ministry of Livestock Development has also revealed an Accelerated Livestock Development and Growth Strategy, which targets to boost revenue generation from the sector to between $70 billion and $90 billion by 2035.
Clashes between nomadic cattle herders and farmers over land use are common in central Nigeria.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia had earlier blamed the recent attacks in the Ukum and Logo local government areas on “suspected herdsmen”.
With many herders belonging to the Muslim Fulani ethnic group, and many farmers Christian, the attacks in the Middle Belt often take on a religious or ethnic dimension. Two attacks by unidentified gunmen earlier this month in neighbouring Plateau state left more than 100 people dead.
Back-to-back massacres — more than 50 people killed in two districts — in Plateau state this month have marked a serious escalation in the state, with authorities scrambling to contain the attacks in a region where ethnic tensions have long simmered.
Families of slain Plateau residents weep after marauders killed their loved ones in overnight attacks
Plateau state authorities have claimed the killings were part of a “genocide” that was “sponsored by terrorists”.
Critics say that rhetoric masks the true causes of the conflict — disputes over land and a failure by authorities and police to govern the countryside.
A local herder group denounced the Plateau state killings while also noting that its own members have been under attack by farmers.
Land grabbing, political and economic tensions between local “indigenes” and those considered outsiders, as well as an influx of hardline Muslim and Christian preachers, have heightened divisions in Plateau state in recent decades.
When violence flares, weak policing all but guarantees indiscriminate reprisal attacks.
Across the wider Middle Belt, including in Benue, land used by farmers and herders is coming under stress from climate change and human expansion, sparking deadly competition for increasingly limited space.
Members of The Progressive Lecturers Network, comprising lecturers from the seven tertiary intuitions in Rivers have thrown their weight behind the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, describing it as a timely and necessary step that averted total breakdown of law and order.
In a communiqué read by their President, Wiri ThankGod, after an emergency congress in Port Harcourt, the academic group commended the President for what they termed a “decisive intervention” that restored peace in a state that was “almost at a point of explosion.”
“We thank the President for the restoration of peace in Rivers State through the declaration of a state of emergency, as the state was almost at a point of explosion if not for the timely intervention of Mr. President.”
The group also expressed confidence in the leadership of the Sole Administrator of the state, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
It hailed his neutrality, courage, and early signs of commitment to good governance.
“We congratulate the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Retrd) on his appointment and courage and neutrality demonstrated so far,” the communiqué read.
They express their commitment to peace and development and announced plans to launch a state-wide awareness campaign to sensitize the public on the importance of supporting the federal government’s efforts in Rivers State.
They urged other stakeholders to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda for the betterment of the state.
“As a network of academics, we believe in and stand for respect for the rule of law. We will continue to open our doors for consultation and inclusiveness in governance,” the group stated.
The Progressive Lecturers Network also commended President Tinubu for appointing Rivers indigenes into positions of trust, particularly, former Governor Nyesom Wike and Senator Magnus Abe in key roles.
They further lauded the administration for its attention to major infrastructural and educational projects in the state, including the rehabilitation of the Eleme section of the East-West Road and the approval for the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Ogoni.
In addition to their support for the state of emergency, the lecturers extended gratitude to President Tinubu for the recent release of N50 billion for lecturers’ allowances, describing the move as a significant boost to morale in the education sector.
They say the gesture has rekindled trust in the federal government among academics nationwide.
The World Bank has projected that poverty in Nigeria will increase by 3.6 percentage points over the next five years, rising through 2027.
This is according to the Bank’s Africa’s Pulse report, released during the ongoing Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, DC.
The report paints a troubling outlook for poverty reduction in Nigeria, highlighting that despite some recent gains in economic activity—particularly in the non-oil sector during the last quarter of 2024—structural issues related to resource dependence and national fragility are likely to hinder progress.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria, alongside other resource-rich and fragile countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, will experience a worsening poverty situation—unlike non-resource-rich countries, which are expected to see faster poverty reduction.
“Poverty in resource-rich, fragile countries—including large economies like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo—is projected to increase by 3.6 percentage points between 2022 and 2027,” the report stated.
The report underscores that Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the highest extreme poverty rate globally, with a disproportionate concentration of the poor: In 2024, 80% of the world’s 695 million extreme poor lived in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Within the region, half of the 560 million extreme poor were located in just four countries.
In comparison, South Asia accounted for 8%, East Asia and the Pacific 2%, the Middle East and North Africa 5%, and Latin America and the Caribbean 3%.
Resource-rich countries are expected to lag in poverty reduction due to slowing oil prices and weak fiscal structures. Conversely, non-resource-rich countries are benefiting from high agricultural commodity prices, which are fueling stronger growth despite fiscal pressures.
The report adds: “This follows a well-established pattern whereby resource wealth combined with fragility or conflict is associated with the highest poverty rates—averaging 46% in 2024, which is 13 percentage points higher than in non-fragile, resource-rich countries.”