President Bola Tinubu has called on fellow African leaders to unanimously condemn the ongoing xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa, warning that a divided response would embolden further violence.
Speaking at the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Sunday, Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, told the gathering that the Nigeria had “already evacuated over 1490 of its citizens from harm’s way in seven batches and is prepared to engage further on this matter.”
“Nigeria condemns, in the strongest terms, the recent attacks on its citizens and other Africans in the Republic of South Africa,” the President said, echoing a call earlier made by Ghana’s leader for ECOWAS to present a united front and raise the matter at the next African Union Summit.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Tinubu added that South Africa owed its freedom to the sacrifices of other African nations, including Nigeria.
Beyond the xenophobia crisis, Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s backing for the newly adopted ECOWAS Compact for the future of Regional Integration, describing it as central to rebuilding trust between citizens and public institutions across the bloc’s more than 400 million people.
He urged stronger regional cooperation on counter-terrorism, the ECOWAS Standby Force, free movement of goods and persons, and the creation of the Digital Single Market to boost innovation and youth employment.
He also stressed Nigeria’s commitment to constitutional governance, zero tolerance for unconditional changes of power, and expanding opportunities for women and young people in decision-making.
Other leaders at the summit, including ECOWAS and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, and ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, spoke on regional security, climate pressures, and institutional reform.
The meeting’s highlight was the signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project.
