Connect with us

National News

COVID-19: West African countries need to look within for Economic Survival, says ECOWAS

Published

on

COVID-19: West African countries need to look within for Economic Survival, says ECOWAS

COVID-19: West African countries need to look within for Economic Survival, says ECOWAS

By: Michael Mike, Abuja

Countries in West Africa need to look within the subregion for survival with the growing threat of COVID-19 pandemic, the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey,

Botchwey said in order to advance regional integration in the West African sub-region, member countries of ECOWAS need to build resilience against terrorist attacks, health crisis and climate change. 

She gave the advice during the 87th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja on Thursday.

Botchwey, who said the year 2021 has been particularly busy at the regional level, with several Extraordinary Councils of Ministers and Summits, noted that there were ominous signs of vitality and also a manifestation of a community beset by challenges. 

She however added that the regional body can take satisfaction from the fact that  the ECOWAS region faced those challenges resolutely and have made consistent efforts to address them.

Botchwey further said the solidarity of action of ECOWAS member states and the collective determination to move forward have enabled the sub-region to improve its resilience in facing both the health and security shocks, saying that as a result, the sub-region expected improved economic growth relative to 2020.

She said: “In order to advance our regional integration agenda and transform the lives of Community citizens, we need to continue to build resilience and enhance our integration programme. This is particularly necessary with respect to the following threats: The health crisis of the Coronavirus which persists and has completely changed our way of life. With the new variant and the risk of a new wave and several countries closing their borders, we must rely more than ever on our regional solidarity. 

COVID-19: West African countries need to look within for Economic Survival, says ECOWAS

“The recurrence of terrorist attacks in the frontline countries of the Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria) with its many victims and to which the response at this time is the diligent implementation of our plan of action against terrorism to support and complement national efforts. 

“Climate change, which is a constraint on the regional integration process and against which we must undertake an ecological transition, with, for example, renewable energies, and an adapted agricultural policy,” Botchwey said. 

Botchwey further said by working together on all the issues confronting the region, the prospects for success are significantly enhanced and would create the conditions for a thriving region.

Also Read: Banditry: Over 11,500 people fled into Niger Republic last…

On the political situation in the sub-region, Botchwey said the ECOWAS region has recorded significant achievements in the area of democracy and governance. 

She also said the recent elections in Cabo Verde and The Gambia, after those of Niger and Benin, were examples of the dynamism of the region’s democracy. 

Botchwey however said the breaches in constitutional order in Guinea and Mali have undermined the progress of the region and pose significant risks.

“In this regard, the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS have taken very strong measures to ensure the restoration of constitutional order in those countries. One of the key decisions at the Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit on the situations in Mali and Guinea held in Accra, on 7th November, 2021, was the agreement to revise our Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. A report on the work done so far on the proposals for revision of the Protocol will be presented to the Authority of Heads of State and Government during the Authority on 12th December, 2021,” Botchwey stated.

COVID-19: West African countries need to look within for Economic Survival, says ECOWAS

On his part, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, said as the year 2021 drew to a close, the activities of the ECOWAS institutions have taken place in a global and regional context still marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it raised, particularly with regards to the emergence of the new variant, Omicron, the risks of a new wave, and inequalities in access to vaccines.

Brou added that on the security front, the ECOWAS region is still painfully marked by deadly terrorist attacks. 

“On behalf of the institutions and staff of ECOWAS, I respectfully bow to the memory of the innocent victims who have unfortunately been unjustly torn from the affection of their loved ones in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. To these victims must be added those of the accidents that occurred in Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

“In addition to the devastating effects of this security crisis, there are the ravages of climate-related natural disasters, particularly floods.

“On the political front, the credibility of the recent elections in Cape Verde and The Gambia, as well as those in Niger and Benin, attest to the vitality of democracy in our region. Nevertheless, the challenges of the transition in Mali and Guinea must be met to enable these two brotherly countries to resume their place within the Community,” Brou said.

COVID-19: West African countries need to look within for Economic Survival, says ECOWAS

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National News

Nasarawa: Security operatives arrest six over kidnapping, rape and robbery in Doma

Published

on

Nasarawa: Security operatives arrest six over kidnapping, rape and robbery in Doma

By: Zagazola Makama

Security operatives in Nasarawa State have arrested six suspected members of a notorious armed robbery and kidnapping gang responsible for a series of violent crimes in Yelwa Ediya village, Doma Local Government Area.

The suspects, identified as Darda’u Shehu, Yunusa Malami Hashimu, Musa Abubakar, Ibrahim Musa, Mohammed Musa, and Jibrin Lafia, were apprehended during a coordinated raid based on actionable intelligence from a concerned resident.

During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to their involvement in the kidnapping of a local councillor, Hon. Ari Muhammad, on May 26, 2025. They further disclosed that one of their members, Darda’u Shehu, raped the councillor’s wife, Talatu Ari, during the abduction and stole two mobile phones an Infinix Note 30 valued at ₦250,000 and a Tecno phone valued at ₦20,000.

The gang also confessed to mounting a roadblock along the Doma–Yelwa Road on July 19, where they attacked one Ibrahim Haruna and snatched his Bajaj motorcycle worth ₦970,000.

Recovered from the suspects were ₦100,000 in cash and one Bajaj motorcycle believed to have been taken from one of their victims.

The suspects also named their gang leaders as Bammi Alhaji Amme (alias Zomo) and one Lawali (surname unknown), who are currently on the run.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the gang and bring them to justice.
End

Continue Reading

National News

Police reunite two lost Beninese children with father in Lagos

Published

on

Police reunite two lost Beninese children with father in Lagos

By: Zagazola Makama

The Lagos State Police Command has reunited two young girls from the Republic of Benin with their father after they were found wandering around the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.

The children, identified as Mutiat Fatai, aged 10, and Mobubat Fatai, aged 5, were spotted by concerned traders roaming the BBA Market area of the complex on July 18. Both girls, described as black in complexion and Yoruba-speaking, could not provide any clear information about their whereabouts or destination.

Following a report, police operatives from the area promptly responded and took the children into protective custody at the station.

Four days later, on July 22, one Fatai Yayah, a resident of Isobe Lagbolugo, Ifonyin in the Republic of Benin, visited the station and positively identified the girls as his daughters. After proper verification, the children were reunited with him.

The Police said the swift action by the officers helped ensure the children’s safety, and they commended members of the public for their vigilance.

Police reunite two lost Beninese children with father in Lagos

Continue Reading

National News

NAPTIP Alerts Nigerians to Increasing Challenges in Human Trafficking

Published

on

NAPTIP Alerts Nigerians to Increasing Challenges in Human Trafficking

By: Michael Mike

The Director General, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Hajiya Binta Bello has alerted of the increasing challenges in human trafficking where traffickers have continued to deceive victims with pseudo job opportunities and harvested their organs..

Addressing a press conference on activities lined up for this year’s World Day Against Human Trafficking, Bello said it should interest all that the fight against human trafficking has continued to take new dimensions with emerging trends daily.

She said this is coupled with a new destination and further exploitation of victims.

She lamented that some of the disturbing trends that are on the increase, include Fake Job Opportunities and Scholarships in some destination countries; Recruitment of Victims as Marketing Agents for some branded products with the intention to exploit them; Recruitment of unsuspecting youths for Online Scam (Yahoo-Yahoo) within Nigeria, Ghana and some West African Countries; Online Trafficking/Sextortion, revenge porn,– Nigeria and Ghana.

Others are Baby Factory; Organ Harvesting; Online Loan Scheme – This is a situation where the suspect uses social media handles to lure unsuspecting victims into accepting, but at the end of the day, compel them into prostitution in return for the loan.

She noted that even though the crime of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) continues to evolve, becoming more complex, transnational and interlinked with other forms of violence and exploitation, particularly affecting women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, NAPTIP has continued to perform maximally in line with its mandates.

Bello said: “The Agency has continued to carry out its activities in line with the 5Ps Strategies of Prevention, Partnership, Policy, Protection, and Prosecution. These have metamorphosed to massive awareness across the country to reduce the vulnerability of the citizens, increased collaboration and coordination, development of counter trafficking policies, rescue and rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking,and prosecution of offenders.”

She reiterated that: “Our resolve to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria is firm and unequivocal, and we shall continue to scale our strategies to outsmart the traffickers. It is our resolve to continue doubling our efforts to outsmart the tactics of the traffickers.

“In the coming months, it will be very challenging for human traffickers in the Country. We shall increase our coordination mechanism to empower all state and non–state actors to detect and report issues of human trafficking anywhere in the Country.

“In the same vein, we have built the capacity of our Cybercrime Squad and aligned it with the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC) under the Federal Ministry of Justice to effectively and swiftly respond and address the growing trends of online recruitment and exploitation.”

Bello said: “NAPTIP has also strengthened working relationship and collaboration with other sister Law Enforcement Agencies including the Intelligence Community to ensure adequate surveillance and interception of traffickers and victims of human trafficking. This is in addition to the reinforcement and stringent enforcement of the relevant counter trafficking legal instruments with neighbouring countries and partners to prevent human trafficking.”

She however insisted that: “Human trafficking is a visible threat to National Development. It is a crime that weakens the foundation and pillars of any nation, with women and youth as the main target. So, we must set aside any rivalry; we must join hands together and ensure the protection of Nigerians.”

On his part, the Country Representative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr. Cheikh Toure reaffirmed UNODC’s unwavering solidarity with
the Nigerian people in confronting the scourge of human trafficking.

He said: “This year’s theme “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime: End the Exploitation” demands we recognize a stark reality: trafficking is not incidental crime, but a calculated, transnational enterprise profiting from the vulnerability of our women, children, and men.”

He added that: “As custodian of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), UNODC stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Government of Nigeria. We must dismantle criminal networks through coordinated, cross-border action, strengthening justice, protecting victims, and holding perpetrators accountable.

He insisted that: “Human trafficking violates every principle of human dignity, destabilizes societies, and undermines the rule of law. Let me be clear: UNODC will deepen its partnership with Nigeria working with government, civil society, and survivors to shatter criminal empires, uplift victims, and build a future where no Nigerian is bought or sold. The time for decisive action is now.”

NAPTIP Alerts Nigerians to Increasing Challenges in Human Trafficking

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights