Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has called for collaboration and effective structure in West Africa to effectively address the challenges confronting the region.
Receiving President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, who visited him on Thursday at the State House Abuja, President Tinubu said that West Africa should work together to defeat the hydra-headed problems of terrorism, banditry, human trafficking and poverty.
He advised that West African leaders should make the people the point of convergence in governance and that the essence of democracy is lost when the people are not the focal point.
The Nigerian leader emphasized that democratic governance, democratic values and constitutional order are sacrosanct and must be protected.
According to him, critical institutions and precepts like the judiciary and the rule of law, must be respected and observed for the sustenance of democracy.
“Constitutional democracy is what Senegal proved to the rest of the world and Africa. It is a joy to have you here; to meet the hope and aspiration of our youths. You fit in perfectly well,” he said.
President Tinubu described Nigeria and Senegal as brotherly nations, recounting both countries’ long history of cooperation.
“We are brothers. We have shared interest in democracy. To make democracy sustainable in the interest of our people, we definitely must work hard,” he said.
Speaking of some of the West African countries that resigned from the regional body, ECOWAS, Tinubu said: “As the Chairman of ECOWAS, I am inviting you to collaborate and meet those other brothers. To persuade them to come back to the fold.
“We will continue to work together. We share good backgrounds, and we will continue to embrace and promote democratic governance. We must be able to partner and build the freedom we believe in – in economic growth, development, and other spheres of governance. It is left for us to provide assurance to our people and walk our talk.
“We must defeat human trafficking; we must defeat terrorism, banditry, and poverty in our society. That must be our focus and commitment,” President Tinubu said.
Responding, President Faye acknowledged Nigeria and Senegal’s shared values, ideals, and challenges, emphasizing that both nations have always had good relations since the 1960s.
“The good relations we have and the relations between our private sectors should be beneficial to our countries,” he said.
He called for the reactivation of the Nigeria-Senegal joint commission to strengthen bilateral relations across the areas of diplomacy, trade, and other spheres.
Speaking on ECOWAS, President Faye said that with President Tinubu’s wisdom and experience, relations among member states can be strengthened and bolstered for the advancement of the community.
“ECOWAS is the beacon of successful regional integration in Africa and globally. It is something we owe to the founding fathers of the community, and I have no doubt that you want to continue this legacy of integration. The union is going through a rough patch, but not everything is lost,” local media reports quoted the Senegalese President as saying.
GIK/APA
President Tinubu urges collaboration in addressing challenges confronting W/Africa’
