President Tinubu advised ECOWAS leaders to leverage the capabilities of Nigeria's National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has been re-elected as the chairperson of ECOWAS.
Mr Tinubu was re-elected as the head of the regional bloc during the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city.
Mr Tinubu called on the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to work towards the establishment and sustenance of a regional standby force for the security and economic advancement of the community.
The Nigerian President highlighted the expediency of a standby force in the face of growing security threats.
"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," the President said.
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 operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasise 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 stabilise our region," the President added.
He advised ECOWAS leaders to leverage the capabilities of Nigeria's National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
