President Bola Tinubu will leave Abuja on Tuesday for Lagos to celebrate, along with other leaders, the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, said in a statement on Monday that the ECOWAS Golden Jubilee was flagged off in Accra last month.
The Lagos event will include reenacting the 1975 declaration at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island.
At the Eko Hotels and Suites, President Tinubu, the Chairman of ECOWAS, would highlight the economic bloc’s milestones.
The Chairman of the NIIA and former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, is expected to review the bloc’s 50-year journey, which panellists at the NIIA would later analyse.
The only surviving Head of State, who signed the ECOWAS declaration, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.), will participate in all the ceremonies and deliver a speech at the Eko Hotels.
Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, will deliver the welcome address.
While in Lagos, President Tinubu will, on Saturday, May 31, commission some projects of his administration.
Among them are Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road, the flag-off of Section II of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, and the 7th Axial Road.
The President will virtually commission Kano-Kanwar-Danja-Hadejiya Section II Road and Yakasai-Zalli Road and flag off the Kano Northen By-pass, Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai Section I, Dabai-Kafur Malumfashi, and Malumfashi-Dayi-Yashe-Gidan Mutum Daya Section III.
President Tinubu will observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House, Dodan Barracks, before returning to Abuja.
Meanwhile the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, says the commemoration of ECOWAS@50 anniversary would further bolster the member countries commitment towards advancing the community’s growth.
Tuggar disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing diplomatic correspondents on the sidelines of Nigeria’s readiness to host ECOWAS Member States in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the community.
The minister spoke on wide subjects of topical interest focused on the rational for the anniversary celebration in Lagos on May 28, 2025, as well as achievements of ECOWAS and the outlined programmes.
According to him, the anniversary celebration would help to revalidate the commitment by the ECOWAS Member States to the community after 50 years.
Tuggar said, “To showcase the achievements of ECOWAS, because unfortunately, we have been distracted in recent times by the exit of three member countries, more attention is paid to some of the remarkable achievements of ECOWAS.
“We are talking about the ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme that has proven to be very successful, allowed for increase in the volume of trade among the states and intra-regional trade.
“We are talking about the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
We are talking about the Abidjan-Dakar corridor. These are trade and transport corridors.
“We are talking about digitised-tracking of goods and containers within the region, about common external tariff and even, continental organisations that look towards ECOWAS as exemplary of successful funding.”
He mentioned other achievements by the community to include regulation of activities of government and people in different sectors.
He, however, said low volume of trade among countries within Africa posed challenges to the economy of the African continent.
He stated that President Bola Tinubu, other heads of state and government of the ECOWAS would attend the celebration slated to hold at the National Institute of International Affairs, where organisation was established
