Delegates Gather In Lagos For ECOWAS @50 Celebrations

Representatives from across West Africa have assembled at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, the bustling economic hub of Nigeria, to mark the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS—a regional community dedicated to fostering cooperation and development.

Prior to the main ceremony, President Bola Tinubu, who currently leads the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, joined other dignitaries and “the only surviving father of the original group that helped birth the community in 1975, General Yakubu Gowon,” commemorating the agreement originally established in Lagos through a historic treaty.

A reenactment of this foundational moment is taking place at “the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), in Victoria Island, Lagos.”

Once the commemorative activities at the NIIA conclude, top officials and presidents from ECOWAS countries will proceed to the Eko Hotel to continue the anniversary event.

An earlier release from Tinubu’s office mentioned that “the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, is expected to deliver the welcome address.”

“At the Eko Hotels and Suites event, President Tinubu, the Chairman of ECOWAS, will highlight the economic bloc’s milestones. The Chairman of the NIIA and former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, will review the bloc’s 50-year journey, which panellists at the NIIA will later analyse.”

“The only surviving Head of State who signed the ECOWAS declaration, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), will participate in all the ceremonies and deliver a speech at the Eko Hotels,” the statement read.