President Bola Tinubu has urged West African leaders to close ranks and uphold regional solidarity in the face of recent threats to democracy, citing the attempted coup in Benin Republic and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu delivered the opening address at the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at the State House, Abuja, on Sunday. He stressed that the region’s current challenges require a united front.
“The external threats confronting West Africa today demand nothing less than a united front, terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government, transnational organised crime, cyber insecurity, climate shocks, food insecurity and irregular migration,” Tinubu said.
He warned that West Africa’s greatest vulnerability comes not from external threats, but from internal divisions. “We do not share geography by accident. We share it by design, by history and by the enduring logic of kinship,” he said, urging member states to rely on persuasion and solidarity rather than force to navigate crises.
The Nigerian President highlighted recent governance crises in the region, noting that internal differences had weakened the bloc. “A community is only as strong as the trust its members repose in one another. Our shared challenge is to ensure that internal divisions do not erode the collective sense we have built over decades,” he added.
Tinubu linked the attempted coup in Benin on December 7 and instability in Guinea-Bissau to wider regional threats, calling for a coordinated approach to security, governance, and economic matters. Nigeria responded quickly to the Benin crisis, deploying troops and jets to assist the Béninoise government, an action approved by the Nigerian Senate on December 9. About 200 West African soldiers, primarily from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, are now in Benin to support the government.
Echoing Tinubu, ECOWAS Chair President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone condemned unconstitutional power grabs and commended the rapid mobilisation of regional forces. “Instability in one state endangers all. Our response must be united and uncompromising,” Bio said.
The summit also addressed economic integration, with Bio and ECOWAS Commission President Dr Omar Touray urging deeper cooperation, including plans for a single currency by 2027 and the launch of the ECOWAS Business Council, chaired by industrialist Aliko Dangote. The council is expected to mobilise regional capital and promote private-sector-led integration.
The session comes after a turbulent five years for West Africa, including coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which have tested ECOWAS’ ability to maintain peace and stability.
Tinubu concluded by emphasising that enduring security and prosperity in West Africa can only be achieved through unity, shared responsibility, and a collective voice.
