The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Tijjani Bande, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Economic Communities of West African States at the United Nations, pledging that Nigeria would continue to do all it could to help coordinate the Group’s work.
Mr Bande, who took over from his Togolese counterpart, Frank Kpayedo, promised that, throughout his tenure, the country would provide leadership on all issues.
Mr Bande said Nigeria had always worked with other member-states of the group as ‘brothers’, including agreements on candidatures at the UN without conflicts.
He mentioned that “Nigeria wants to make sure that we continue to work for the stability and general wellbeing of the sub-region and the region, and as much as possible, we should speak with one voice.
“We should also speak with one voice outside the continent because West Africa works collaboratively with all other sub-regions on the continent. Nigeria will do the best it can to strengthen the bonds of friendship within the region and do the work we are here to do at this very important platform in a better way and with more assured results for the benefit of all.”
“The West African sub-region has seen better coordination than most sub-regions that operate here at the UN.
“We have dealt, like at the ECOWAS Commission back home, with matters, particularly to do with stability of the region to the satisfaction of all, even for difficult situations.”
He stated that it was a standard practice that ambassadors at the UN would chair the Group just as their heads of state. “Our issues are peace and security, development, technology, agriculture, and speaking also in line with African region because ECOWAS coordinates what we do but we also work very well with the African Group here,” he added.
The ambassador of Togo, Kpayedo, thanked his colleagues for their support during his one-year tenure, and pledged support to Bande to succeed. The ECOWAS Permanent Observer to the UN, Kone Tanou, also congratulated Mr Kpayedo on a successful tenure and commended the ambassadors for their trust in Nigeria’s envoy to lead the Group.
“In few years of service in New York, you have shown great interest on multilateral diplomacy by investing yourself in preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacebuilding and mediation,” Mr Tanou said of Mr Bande.
Mariame Fofana, Deputy Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the UN, commended Togo for its coordination of the group, and congratulated Nigeria for assuming the Group’s head, pledging her country’s support.
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