President Muhammadu Buhari has assured of Nigeria’s continued commitment to meet all her obligations to the ECOWAS Commission.
He made the pledge at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving the new president of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Marcel Alain de Souza.
Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as assuring that Nigeria would continue to play her leadership role in the sub-region.
He said the federal government would also strive to show good example by meeting all its financial obligations to the sub-regional organisation.
Souza who commended Buhari for Nigeria’s recent successes in the war against terrorism and insurgency, noted that with terrorist attacks spreading to Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire and others, security had to be accorded more priority by ECOWAS.
Souza had in the recent past complained of a financial crisis in ECOWAS as a result of Nigeria’s suspension of its contributions.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hajia Khadijah Bukar Abba Ibrahim in Abuja, Souza said the situation had become “precarious.”
According to the president, the community levy which represents 90% of the commission’s funding was not being regularly paid by most member states with Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and Senegal as major defaulters, but that the greater challenge lied with Nigeria, the biggest contributor.
He said Nigeria’s debt stands at $694,000 and that the country made no payment between 2015 and 2016.
The Nigerian government had decided to withhold its financial contributions to the to the 15-member body, citing mismanagement of resources by those at the helm of the commission’s affairs.
Souza, therefore, urged Nigeria to come to their aid, saying “Without Nigeria and without Nigeria’s contribution, we will not be able to sustain our activities, neither we will be able to restore our credibility”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama had during a media briefing on Tuesday, announced that Nigeria had suspended its contributions to ECOWAS because of the country’s “dissatisfaction” with the way the organisation was being run.
Onyeama said: “There are challenges, some of which we can attest to. That’s why we, as a major contributor, have held a very significant percentage of our contributions to ECOWAS until we see meaningful reforms in the organisation.”