President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will travel to Lagos on Tuesday, May 27, to lead the 50th anniversary celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The event marks a continuation of the golden jubilee activities, which were officially flagged off last month in Accra, Ghana.
The disclosure was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the State House and signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
It stated that the President will participate in a series of commemorative events, including a symbolic reenactment of the 1975 founding declaration of ECOWAS at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island, Lagos.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will leave Abuja on Tuesday for Lagos to celebrate, along with other leaders, the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The ECOWAS golden jubilee was flagged off in Accra last month.
“The Lagos events will include reenacting the 1975 declaration at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island,” the statement read in part.
As Chairman of ECOWAS, President Tinubu will also address a high-level gathering at Eko Hotels and Suites, where he is expected to highlight the achievements and regional impact of the bloc over the past five decades.
The ceremony will feature remarks by Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, and a keynote speech by Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Nigeria’s former Head of State and the only surviving signatory of the original ECOWAS treaty. Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Chairman of the NIIA and former Minister of External Affairs, will review the bloc’s journey, followed by a panel discussion.
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In addition to the ECOWAS celebrations, President Tinubu is scheduled to commission several infrastructure projects in Lagos and other parts of the country on Saturday, May 31.
Key projects include Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road, the flag-off of Section II of the Coastal Highway, and the 7th Axial Road.
- Earlier in May, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $651.7 million for the construction of the 7th Axial Road — a major evacuation corridor linking the Lekki Deep Seaport to key transport networks across southern and northern Nigeria.
- The President will also virtually commission or flag off several road projects in the northern region, including the Kano-Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Section II, Yakasai-Zalli Road, the Kano Northern Bypass, Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai Section I, Dabai-Kafur-Malumfashi, and the Malumfashi-Dayi-Yashe-Gidan Mutum Daya Section III.
Before returning to Abuja, President Tinubu is expected to observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House, Dodan Barracks.
