By Ayomide Otitoju
Nigeria has successfully settled its accrued debt to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) amounting to ₦85 billion. This announcement was made by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, during the opening of the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja.
Touray noted that member states had faced challenges in timely remittance of their levies; however, under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has cleared its levies from 2023 onwards. This marks the first occasion in 19 years that Nigeria has paid 100% of its ECOWAS levy.
“I am pleased to announce that on Friday, December 13th, Nigeria paid ₦85 billion and 54 million, representing 100% of the 2023 levy and the levy for 2024 up to July,” Touray stated. He emphasized that this payment reflects the leadership commitment of President Tinubu, the Nigerian government, and its citizens towards the community.
Touray also extended gratitude to outgoing Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is due to leave office on January 7, 2025, for his contributions to ECOWAS.
In his welcome address, President Tinubu, who chairs the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, called for enhanced collaboration among member states to protect citizens and create an environment conducive to prosperity. He underscored the obligation of governments to improve living standards for their populations.
Tinubu acknowledged the positive impact of various ECOWAS policies on economic cooperation and praised Ghana and Senegal for successfully conducting recent presidential and parliamentary elections. He urged other nations in the region to draw lessons from these examples.
Describing Akufo-Addo as “Mr. Democrat,” Tinubu commended the Ghanaian leader for his dedication to democratic principles and for allowing the will of the people to prevail during his tenure, marking Akufo-Addo’s final participation in the ECOWAS gathering as President of Ghana.
