Nigeria is committed to supporting democratic stability and maintaining the peace in West Africa, according to President Bola Tinubu, who made the statement on Saturday in Guinea-Bissau.
“I am here to show solidarity with you. I want to assure you we are committed to supporting peace and democracy not only in West Africa but around the world,” Tinubu told Nigerian troops stationed in Guinea-Bissau under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force.
President Tinubu arrives in Guinea-Bissau for the ECOWAS summit and visits Nigerian troops, according to a statement signed late on Saturday by Dele Alake, the President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy.
Prior to Sunday’s Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, the President arrived in the capital city of Bissau and declared that he is relying on the military to protect the nation’s constitutional order.
According to The Spectator, on February 1, 2022, the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Embaló, escaped a putsch attempt.
Security personnel engaged in a five-hour gun battle with armed intruders who attempted to break into a government building where Embaló and cabinet ministers were allegedly meeting.
The president disclosed that the attackers had attempted to kill him and his whole government after the tragedy.
It is one of the coups or attempted coups that have shook West Africa since 2019.
Earlier, the administrations of Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali were overthrown.
However, in remarks on Saturday, President Tinubu stated that Nigeria would continue to play a supervisory role in advancing democracy, as it did in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“Nigeria is a giant that has made its mark in Sierra Leone and Liberia and other places,” he said.
To the troops, Tinubu said, “We count on your support for the defence of constitutional order.
“I heard your allowances have been paid up to date. Nothing else should make you angry.
“We will continue to build a virile force.”
The Commander-in-Chief commended them saying “We are proud of you. Proud of your loyalty.
“Nigeria depends on you. There will be peace and progress in our country.”
He thanked the soldiers and their Commander, General Al-Hassan Grema, for their dedication and service to Nigeria and their host country.
On his part, Brigadier General Grema expressed the appreciation of the troops to President Tinubu for being the first Commander-in-Chief in Nigeria’s history to visit his soldiers on foreign soil.
Earlier, the President’s aircraft touched down at the International Airport in Bissau at precisely 5:30 pm local time ahead of the ECOWAS summit, his first engagement in an African State since assuming office on May 29, 2023.
The 16 regional leaders attending the summit are expected to address memoranda on five pressing sub-regional issues.
A Report of the 90th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the organization’s financial situation and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area are among them. Another is a Report of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council on the security challenges faced by the member countries.
The Memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme, the Report on Obstacles to the Free Movement of Goods on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, and the Report on the Status of Transition in the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea are also up for discussion.
The Nigerian president will visit Guinea-Bissau for the summit and will also have bilateral meetings and other activities while there.
National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu, Acting Central Bank Governor Dr. Folashodun Shonubi, Permanent Secretaries Adamu Lamuwa, Ibrahim Kana, and Aliyu Ahmed from the Ministries of Defense and Finance, as well as Musa Nuhu, the Permanent Representative of ECOWAS, are all in his entourage.
Former governors, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), and Abdullahi are few more.
President Tinubu is expected back in the country on Monday.
