In a sweeping rejection of international oversight, the military-led governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic have announced their joint withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), declaring they no longer recognize its authority. In a strongly worded statement, the three Sahelian nations described the ICC as an...
West Africa
In a powerful call to action, Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Wale Edun, and House Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, have challenged West African parliaments to enhance fiscal oversight and ensure public resources deliver tangible benefits amid escalating debt challenges. Speaking at the 11th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the West Africa...
Few institutions command as much influence over the educational destiny of West Africa as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). For decades, WAEC’s paper-based examinations have served as the gatekeeper to higher education and professional advancement for millions of young people across the sub-region. But as the world accelerates...
Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) has raised concerns about the growing wave of military rule across West and Central Africa, warning that it jeopardizes democratic progress, stability, and regional unity. Director of CDD-West Africa, Dr. Dauda Garuba, addressed this issue in Abuja on Wednesday during the...
National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has revealed that Nigeria accounts for 70% of the estimated 11 million illicit small arms and light weapons circulating in West Africa. This disclosure was made by Mr. Alex Ebimiebo, the South-South Zonal Director of NCCSALW, during...
In a rare moment of good news in Nigeria’s long war against extremism, the Department of State Services (DSS), has confirmed the arrest of Abubakar Abba, the elusive and feared leader of the Mahmuda terror group. Captured alive in a quiet but meticulously planned operation in Wawa, Niger State,...
West African Examinations Council (WAEC) discovered a mistake in the grading of the English Language Objective Paper during an internal review. Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, in a press conference on Friday in Lagos, explained that a wrong serialized code file was used, leading to incorrect...
Shell is highlighting its contributions to the growth of oil industry in Nigeria at an exhibition at the annual international conference of the Nigeria Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) which opened today in Lagos. It comes as Shell received an award for the Bonga North FID...
ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development has approved €174 million for investments and $125 million for social development to boost trade, strengthen infrastructure, and support social development in the West African region. According to a report from the bank’s 92nd ordinary session, the funding will finance projects aimed at...
For a nation that once towered as West Africa’s agricultural beacon, Nigeria’s gradual slide into food import dependency was an unheralded catastrophe, largely accepted with a shrug and managed through unsustainable quick fixes. Today, however, the landscape is shifting dramatically. Under the purposeful leadership of Senator Abubakar Kyari, the...
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja – President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday in Abuja, handed over the chairmanship of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government to President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, expressing confidence in the region’s continued path toward peace, stability, and prosperity. The ECOWAS Authority’s...
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep concern over the slow pace of activating the ECOWAS Standby Force and urged West African leaders to move swiftly from concept to reality in the collective fight against terrorism and transnational crimes. President Tinubu raised the concern in...
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has restated the commitment of ECOWAS leaders to work towards reshaping economic diplomacy in West Africa and build a sub-region that works for all. He said the foundation is being laid through the trade liberalisation scheme, the West African power pool...
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja- President Bola Tinubu on Saturday urged West African leaders to harness the region’s youthful population and abundant natural resources for economic transformation through industrialisation, education, and innovation. Delivering the opening address at the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) in Abuja, President Tinubu described the...
Nigeria and the Republic of Benin signed an agreement on Saturday to deepen bilateral integration and serve as a model for broader regional cooperation within ECOWAS. The signing ceremony, witnessed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Benin Republic President Patrice Talon, occurred at the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit...
Nigerian Armed Forces has deployed 197 troops to the Economic Community of West African States Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) to support regional peace and stability. The troops underwent rigorous Pre-Deployment Training (PDT) at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre in Kaduna, equipping them with the...
By CALLISTUS OFFOR, Abuja- The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, has emphasized the urgent need for regional collaboration to combat public health threats across Western and Central Africa. Dr. Idris made the call while declaring open a pivotal Health Security Program...
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja- President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to uphold and pass on the vision of the founding fathers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as the regional bloc marks its 50th anniversary. In a keynote address on Wednesday in Lagos,...
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has called for development of effective mechanisms to enhance the ability to prevent and counter the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by terrorist groups in West Africa. Ribadu made the call at the opening of the Stakeholders meeting on Consolidating...
The Federal Government has lauded the Ghanaian authorities for rescuing not less than 219 young Nigerians trafficked to the country and forced into cybercrimes. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. Odumegwu-Ojukwu spoke against backdrop of her...