News / politics

Guinea crisis: Osinbajo to represent Nigeria at ECOWAS meeting in Accra

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will on Thursday represent Nigeria at the Second Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments on the political situation in the Republic of Guinea.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

Osinbajo had on September 8 participated at a virtual ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali.

The Authority had decided that Guinea be immediately suspended from all ECOWAS governing bodies and statutory meetings.

ECOWAS leaders had also called for the immediate and unconditional release of President Alpha Conde and other arrested persons, demanded the immediate return of Guinea to constitutional order.

They also decided to immediately dispatch a high-level ECOWAS mission to Guinea to assess the situation.

The meeting on Thursday will review the situation in Guinea in light of the report of the ECOWAS high-level mission to Conakry.

The vice president will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada.

He is expected back in Abuja later in the day.…

Foreign / News / Security

ECOWAS, Nigeria condemns Guinea coup d’état

The Economic Community of West African States and the Nigerian Government have strongly condemned the coup d’état that took place in the Republic of Guinea Conakry on Sunday.

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, condemned the action in separate statements.

They described the action as a clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, demanding for the immediate return to constitutional order.

Akufo-Addo, who is also the Chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, said ECOWAS demanded the immediate and unconditional release of President Alpha Condé as well as others arrested. He said: “ECOWAS notes with great concern the recent political developments which occurred in Conakry, Republic of Guinea. She condemns with the greatest firmness this coup attempt on Sunday, September 5, 2021.

“ECOWAS demands respect for the physical integrity of the President of the Republic, the Professor Alpha Condé, and his immediate and unconditional release as well as that of all the personalities arrested

“ECOWAS reaffirms its disapproval of any unconstitutional political change. She asks the defense and security forces to remain in a posture Republican and expresses its solidarity with the Guinean people and Government.”

Onyeama stated: “The Government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government.

“And therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that on Sunday evening, heavy gunfire exchange was reported near the Presidential Palace in Conakry, the country’s capital.

Following the gun battles, soldiers, who call themselves the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development, appeared on TV, claiming to have dissolved the Conde-led government, taking over power.

Conde’s third term Presidency had earlier sparked violent and mass protest in the country after a disputed election in October 2020 and a new constitution in March 2020, which allowed him to sidestep the country’s two-term limit.…

Business / News

Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire to strengthen maritime trade – NPA MD

The Nigerian Ports Authority on Thursday expressed its readiness to strengthen relations with the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in the areas of port and shipping operations.

Mohammed Bello-Koko, acting managing director of NPA, stated this in a statement signed by Mr Olaseni Alakija, NPA’s general manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, in Lagos.

Bello-Koko made the statement when he received a delegation from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, who paid him a courtesy visit at the NPA corporate headquarters in Marina, Lagos.

He said the relations would focus more on strengthening the capacities of both countries to participate competitively in global and regional trade. “The Nigerian government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has introduced far-reaching reforms to facilitate cross-border trade, particularly nurturing a multimodal port system to reduce the cost of shipments in and out of the country.

“The Buhari-administration has also invested heavily in major public infrastructure upgrades, including construction of modern rail lines and deep seaports, to boost the international competitiveness of the country’s trade.

“This will also position Nigeria as a gateway to the African economy,” he said.

Bello-Koko said one of the Greenfield Ports – the Lekki Deep Seaport, capable of handling ultra large cargo vessels, would commence business by the second quarter of 2022.

He also highlighted efforts by the Authority to give priority to non-oil export trade.

According to him, export processing terminals are now being established to take advantage of opportunities under African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA).

He urged the Ivorian government and business sector to increase their share of trade with Nigeria.

The managing director assured the delegation that NPA would address non-tariff barriers and restrictions to trade between the two countries.

He added that there was room for information sharing, just as both countries needed to cooperate more in the areas of joint training of staff and technology transfer.

The NPA boss solicited the support of Republic of Cote d’Ivoire towards Nigeria’s candidate emerging as the next Secretary-General of the Maritime Organization for West and Central Africa (MOWCA).

He …

News / politics / Stories

Mali suspended over second coup in nine months by ECOWAS

West African leaders suspended Mali from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at an extraordinary summit Sunday but stopped short of reimposed sanctions, after a second military coup in nine months.

The putsch had sparked deep concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region and warnings of fresh economic penalties.

Ten regional heads of state and three foreign ministers attended the summit in the Ghanaian capital Accra, with former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan serving as a mediator in the crisis.

“The suspension from ECOWAS takes immediate effect until the deadline of the end of February 2022 when they are supposed to hand over to a democratically elected government,” Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said after the meeting.

The final declaration called for the immediate appointment of a new civilian prime minister and the formation of an “inclusive” government.

In a statement, ECOWAS also reiterated that “the head of the transition, the vice-president and the prime minister of the transition must under no circumstances be a candidate for the future presidential election”.…