President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Tuesday depart Abuja for Lagos to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a milestone celebration that will bring together regional leaders and dignitaries to reflect on the bloc’s achievements and future trajectory.
By Chimezie Godfrey
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Tuesday depart Abuja for Lagos to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a milestone celebration that will bring together regional leaders and dignitaries to reflect on the bloc’s achievements and future trajectory.
The golden jubilee celebration, which commenced last month in Accra, Ghana, will continue in Lagos with a reenactment of the 1975 declaration that founded ECOWAS. This symbolic event will take place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island.
According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, “The Lagos events will be a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s historical commitment to regional integration and cooperation. President Tinubu, as Chairman of ECOWAS, will use the opportunity to spotlight the bloc’s economic and diplomatic milestones.”
In a highlight of the commemoration, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Nigeria’s former Head of State and the only surviving signatory to the original ECOWAS declaration, will participate in all ceremonies and deliver a special address at the main event slated for Eko Hotels and Suites.
Also scheduled to speak is Dr Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, who will deliver the welcome address. A panel discussion at the NIIA will follow a keynote review of ECOWAS’s five-decade journey by its chairman and former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi.
Beyond the celebrations, President Tinubu will also use the Lagos visit to inaugurate key infrastructure projects under his administration on Saturday, May 31.
Among the projects to be commissioned are:
”Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
”Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road
”Flag-off of Section II of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway
”7th Axial Road
In addition, the President will conduct virtual commissioning of the Kano-Kanwar-Danja-Hadejiya Section II Road and Yakasai-Zalli Road, while also flagging off new segments of road infrastructure across northern Nigeria, including the Kano Northern By-pass, Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai Section I, Dabai-Kafur Malumfashi, and Malumfashi-Dayi-Yashe-Gidan Mutum Daya Section III.
President Tinubu is expected to observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House, Dodan Barracks, before returning to Abuja.
As ECOWAS marks half a century of regional solidarity, leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to peace, integration, and economic transformation across West Africa.