By Ebi Kesiena
Nigeria’s President and ECOWAS Chairman, Bola Tinubu, has commended Ghana’s President, John Mahama, for his diplomatic mission to the Sahel nations, aimed at improving regional security and fostering economic opportunities.
President Mahama’s visit to Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso was seen as a crucial step in bridging the gap between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
President Tinubu praised his Ghanaian counterpart during a meeting at the State House in Abuja on Thursday. This followed Mahama’s briefing to the ECOWAS Chairman regarding his diplomatic efforts with the military junta leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, aimed at addressing regional security and stability.
Further speaking on President Mahama’s efforts, President Tinubu said his talks with the three AES countries were essential to safeguarding lives and fostering prosperity across the region.
“I feel good that he is here in the first place. I am indeed very happy with the efforts he has made to build a bridge between the AES countries and ECOWAS. It’s not a bad idea for us, considering the security situation in the Sahel region and the economic opportunities we must pursue to ensure the security of lives and the prosperity of our citizens.
“The innocent people in this episode are the citizens of those countries, not so much the leadership. The citizens must be the first beneficiaries and the primary reason for our collaboration,” President Tinubu added.
For his part, the President of Ghana, John Mahama, said he visited the Nigerian leader to update him on emerging issues from his diplomatic talks with the military leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Mahama acknowledged the complexities of the regional issue but assured that with continued constructive dialogue, all pending issues between the Alliance of Sahel States and ECOWAS would be resolved.
“I came to thank him for the honour done to me during my inauguration, but also to brief him on the visits to the Sahelian countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and to bring him up to date on some of the issues and discuss them with him. As ECOWAS Chairman, it is my duty to brief him on some of the concerns raised so that we can continue to engage with those countries.
“Well, it is a complicated situation, and it is not as easy as we think. We just need to continue engaging in dialogue and see how we can work together,” President Mahama added.
It would be recalled that ECOWAS, at its last meeting, maintained a position of openness towards the three AES states — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger despite their official withdrawal from the bloc.
ECOWAS extended a six-month grace period, allowing these countries to reconsider their decision and potentially rejoin the community.
