Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu, has said leaders in the region must begin to explore ways to deliver good governance.
He said such priority would ensure collective prosperity and probably prevent authoritarian seizures of power and unconstitutional changes of government in the region.
Tinubu gave the charge while addressing the 64th ordinary session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja on Sunday.
According to him, good governance would serve as a catalyst to secure popular support through the socio-economic transformation and development of West Africa.
He said the delivery of good governance is equally an avenue to address the concerns of citizens, help in improving their quality of life, and would go a long way in creating a stable environment conducive to the achievement of sustainable development.
Tinubu also opined that good governance would tackle the challenges of poverty, inequality and other concerns of the people, stressing that African leaders would have succeeded in addressing some of the root causes of military interventions in civilian processes in our region.
Commenting on resolutions adopted by West African leaders to strengthen democratic governance and uphold the right of the people to elect the leaders of their choice, he said the bloc had reeled out specific measures to sanction any member state opting for an unconstitutional change of government.
His words, “While the imposition of punitive sanctions may pose challenges, it is important to underscore that the struggle to protect the fundamental liberties of our Community’s Citizens must be upheld and respected”.
ECOWAS Summit: Good governance key to ending coups in West Africa – Tinubu