Buhari has tasked ECOWAS leaders with forging a stronger alliance in the face of COVID-19 and other challenges.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday emphasized the importance of forging a stronger alliance among the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in order to address new challenges, such as the current third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its new variant, Omicron.

The President made the announcement at the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government’s 60th Ordinary Session in Abuja.
The Nigerian president stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had continued to affect the sub-socioeconomic, region’s political, security, and environmental realities.

“The challenges of COVID-19, as well as the catastrophic consequences they pose to our socioeconomic environment, continue to torment us,” Buhari said.

“The regional resilience, determination, and resolve to work together in solidarity with one another greatly aided us in lessening the pandemic’s burden.”

“We’re up against a criminal network, including terrorism.”

Read also: NEDC bags TheNigerian star award for national intervention and recovery

“All of these challenges necessitate our collective action to address them programmatically and provide our people with better life prospects.

“As a people, we aspire to create a world that is borderless, peaceful, prosperous, and where people can access and harness its resources by creating opportunities for sustainable development, job creation, and environmental preservation.”

“Today’s realities remind us of the need to continue forging stronger solidarity in order to address new challenges, such as the current third wave of the pandemic and its Omicron variant,” he said.

“I am pleased that the Economic Community of West African States Commission and the West African Health Organization are continuing to collaborate with our respective national disease control centers to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on our people and sub-region.”

“At this 60th Ordinary Session, we have several issues on the agenda that are of critical importance to the community.

“I would therefore urge us to carefully consider the issues that will be presented to us and to make well-informed concrete decisions for the welfare and well-being of our peoples and the community’s future.”