By Ijeoma Wilfred
President Tinubu has urged Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger currently under Military rule to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS saying that the Community, is not their enemy
Tinubu made this known while addressing an Extra Ordinary Session of the Regional bloc at the Presidential villa, Abuja,on Saturday.
The President’s speech reads:,
“I come before you today burdened by the weight of the challenges confronting us. I am equally buoyed by the spirit of collective resolve that defines our ECOWAS community. This extraordinary summit was convened
at a critical juncture that demands our focused attention on regional issues. In the course of this Summit, therefore, we would receive a Memorandum from the ECOWAS Commission President on the peace, security and political situation in the region. The Memorandum will give us an update on the current
situation in the Republics of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger. On that note, our decisions must be guided by our commitment to safeguarding the
constitutional order, upholding democratic principles, and promoting the social and economic well-being of the citizens of the aforementioned countries…
“Times like we currently face in our sub region demand that we take difficult but courageous decisions that put the plight of our people at the centre of our deliberations. Democracy is nothing more than the political framework and the path to addressing the basic needs and aspirations of the people. This
is why we must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our Member States. I therefore urge them to re-consider the
decision of the three of them to exit their home and not to perceive our organization as the enemy.
