Onanuga revealed that the Lagos events will include reenactment of the 1975 ECOWAS declaration at the prestigious Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island, bringing the founding moment to life for current and future generations.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Tuesday for Lagos to celebrate the historic 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) alongside other regional leaders.
The presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga announced that the ECOWAS golden jubilee celebration, which was flagged off in Accra last month, will feature significant ceremonies in Lagos that highlight the regional bloc’s remarkable five-decade journey.
Onanuga revealed that the Lagos events will include reenactment of the 1975 ECOWAS declaration at the prestigious Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island, bringing the founding moment to life for current and future generations.
At the Eko Hotels and Suites event, President Tinubu, who serves as Chairman of ECOWAS, will highlight the economic bloc’s major milestones over the past 50 years, showcasing the organization’s transformative impact on West African integration.
The celebration will feature distinguished speakers including Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Chairman of NIIA and former Minister of External Affairs, who will review the bloc’s comprehensive 50-year journey. Panellists at NIIA will later analyze the regional organization’s achievements and future prospects.
“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,” Onanuga announced.
Dr Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, will deliver the welcome address.
Beyond the ECOWAS anniversary celebration, Onanuga disclosed that President Tinubu will commission several major administration projects on Saturday, May 31.
The physical commissioning will include Section I of the strategic Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road, and the flag-off of Section II of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, along with the 7th Axial Road.
President Tinubu will virtually commission multiple road projects across northern Nigeria, including the Kano-Kanwar-Danja-Hadejiya Section II Road and Yakasai-Zalli Road, while flagging off the Kano Northern By-pass, Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai Section I, Dabai-Kafur Malumfashi, and Malumfashi-Dayi-Yashe-Gidan Mutum Daya Section III.
According to Onanuga, President Tinubu will observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House, Dodan Barracks, before returning to Abuja.