President Bola Tinubu has called on ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to work towards the establishment and sustenance of a regional standby force for the security and economic advancement of the community.
The Nigerian leader stated this during the opening of the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on Sunday, in Abuja.
According to a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu highlighted the expediency of a standby force in the face of growing security threats in the region.
He said, “The Regional Action Plan against Terrorism has enhanced cooperation on training, intelligence sharing, and humanitarian interventions. In addition to this, the Ministers of Finance and Defence met recently in Abuja to raise funds for activating the ECOWAS Standby Force to boost counter-terrorism efforts.
“Member countries are also displaying their commitment to combating insecurity by individually increasing their defence budgets in order to acquire necessary equipment and ensure preparedness.”
President Tinubu urged member states to commit more to providing the needed resources for securing the region.
“Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potential. As we move to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasize that the success of this plan requires not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources.
“We must, therefore, ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our Ministers of Defence and Finance, in order to counter insecurity and stabilize our region,’’ he added.
Tinubu also advised ECOWAS leaders to leverage the capabilities of Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre, which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
The President said his government has decided to make the NCTC a regional centre to enable all ECOWAS member states to benefit from capacity building and other related opportunities it offers.
Tinubu also advised the management of ECOWAS to re-align and reposition its priorities by reducing overheads and setting up in-country steering committees.