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Tinubu urges ECOWAS’ unity to resist coups, ensure regional stability

Published

7 months ago

December 14, 2025

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday urged West African leaders to close ranks against fresh shocks to democracy, citing the recent coup attempt in the Benin Republic and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau.

Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, spoke when he gave the opening address at the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at the State House, Abuja, on Sunday.

“The external threats confronting West Africa today demand nothing less than a united front, terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government, transnational organised crime, arms for liberation, cyber insecurity, climate shocks, food insecurity and irregular migration,” said Tinubu.

He framed the moment as an existential test for the bloc, warning that West Africa “is most vulnerable, not when challenged from outside, but when weakened from within.”

“We do not share geography by accident. We share it by design, by history and by the enduring logic of kinship. West Africa is not a random assemblage of borders grown by chance. It is a family bound by memory, culture, struggle and aspiration,” Tinubu affirmed.

He argued that Nigeria’s position is that persuasion and solidarity, not force, must steer ECOWAS through its current storms.

Reflecting on the governance crisis in the region, Tinubu said, “We have, in recent times, allowed our differences to shake the very foundations of our union.

“We remain persuaded that fraternity, not force, must define the future of our community. Yet history reminds us that ECOWAS can only fulfil its purpose or aspiration when every member state upholds the values of purity, justice and equality within its domestic affairs.

“A community is only as strong as its trust its members repose in one another. Our shared challenge is to ensure that internal divisions do not erode the collective sense we have built over decades.”

Linking the Benin and Guinea-Bissau scares to wider regional threats, he pressed for a single voice on security, governance and economics.

Tinubu said, “No single member state, regardless of size or theme, can achieve enduring stability in isolation. Our security, prosperity and resilience are better built together. We must sit at the same table, speak with one voice and act with shared results.”

Sunday’s meeting convenes after five turbulent years for West Africa, which saw coups in Mali (2020, 2021), Burkina Faso (twice in 2022), and Niger (2023).

The developments also fractured the regional order, with the juntas in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announcing withdrawal from ECOWAS in early 2024.

The latest flashpoints include an attempted coup in Benin on December 7, 2025, and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau, which former President Goodluck Jonathan described as a “ceremonial coup.”

Following the December 7 putsch attempt, Tinubu, responding to requests from the Béninoise government, ordered the deployment of jets and troops to quell the attacks.

On December 9, the Senate approved Tinubu’s request to send Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin to help restore calm and stability.

Benin’s foreign ministry said about 200 West African soldiers, mainly from Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, are in the country to support the government.

Recognising the quick response of member states to the Benin incident, ECOWAS Chair, President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone, condemned the resurgence of unconstitutional power grabs in West Africa and warned that instability in one state endangers all.

“The instability in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup d’état in Benin remind us that democracy requires constant vigilance and principled action. On behalf of this Authority, I strongly condemn the unconstitutional change of government in Guinea-Bissau and the attempt to subvert the constitutional order in Benin.

“I commend the rapid mobilisation of ECOWAS troops and air assets, with Nigeria taking the lead to safeguard constitutional order in Benin”, he told leaders.

Bio said the collective response “reaffirms an essential principle: ECOWAS does not and will not compromise on democratic governance,” pledging solidarity with the peoples of Guinea-Bissau and Benin.

He framed the meeting as a hinge moment for the 50-year-old bloc as it confronts terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime spreading across borders.

“West Africa faces some of the most complex and evolving threats in its history. Our response must therefore be united and uncompromising. Security is not only a military obligation; it is a human imperative”, he said.

Bio also outlined steps to operationalise an ECOWAS Standby Force for counter-terrorism, backed by a sustainable financing plan.

“We must strengthen collective action, integrated intelligence systems, coordinated border operations and the operationalisation of ECOWAS Standby Force for counter-terrorism. Our ministers of finance and defence are advancing modalities for sustainable financing and preparing to raise a 1,650-personnel counter-terrorism brigade by the end of 2026,” he said.

Beyond security, the Sierra Leonean leader pressed for deeper economic integration to shore up public confidence in democracy, from harmonised trade rules and an ECOWAS single market aligned with AfCFTA to reviving the single currency target.

“The work of the ECOWAS Convergence Council has already brought renewed momentum to a single currency target by 2027,” he noted, calling a common currency a transformative tool to expand trade and competitiveness.

Bio also announced a travel-cost relief to make integration tangible for citizens.

He said, “Beginning January 1, 2026, our community will implement a landmark measure to reduce the cost of air travel across West Africa. Under this agreement, member states will abolish air transport taxes and reduce passenger and security charges by 25 per cent. By lowering these barriers, ECOWAS is demonstrating leadership that is practical, people-centred and responsive to the realities of everyday life.”

Meanwhile, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, praised the bloc’s deployment of “moral and military might” to foil the December 7 attempt to upend civilian rule in Benin Republic.

“The Chair of Authority, President Julius Maada Bio, in coordination with his peers, President Bola Tinubu, President John Mahama and President Alassane Ouattara, as the Commanders-in-Chief of their Armed Forces, led their Republican Armed Forces to join the Republican Armed Forces of Benin to thwart the attempted coup.

“May I invite Your Excellencies to recognise this feat with your applause,” said Touray.

He revealed that the Authority would also issue decisions beyond routine budget and programme matters as it confronts shifting geopolitics and security headwinds that threaten the bloc’s Vision 2050 targets.

He explained, “Besides the usual institutional memorandum relating to the community work programme, budget and performance. The Authority will also be making pronouncements on the different issues affecting our community as part of the ongoing consultations on the future of our community. The attainment of our Vision 2050 is today impacted by changes in the global landscape and dynamics within the sub-region.”

Touray argued that the challenge to multilateralism, the rise of multipolarity and the pressure on African countries to make choices about partnerships, new technologies and the entrenchment of terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel, among others, have profound effects on ECOWAS’ ability to attain the 2050 Vision objectives.

“Your pronouncement on the future will be about the revitalisation of our integration process,” he told leaders.

Touray announced the take-off of the ECOWAS Business Council to deepen private-sector-led integration, with industrialist Aliko Dangote accepting to serve as the pioneer chair.

“We are reinvigorating our economic integration objectives by moving forward with the operationalisation of the ECOWAS Business Council. Alhaji Aliko Dangote has gracefully accepted our invitation to serve as the pioneer chairperson.

“Through the Council, we hope to get the private sector actors to help with mobilising regional capital and developing the comparative advantage of our member states,” he noted.

He said the Council would become the formal platform for government–business dialogue and promised a West African economic investment summit “in the near future.”

“Hopefully, we will be having our own Davos-like platforms for our community, where regional economic investment will be coordinated and progress regularly monitored,” he added.

Sunday’s session is a special debate on the future of the Community.

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Step-by-step guide for contactless passport renewal for Nigerians abroad

Published

8 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Nigeria Immigration Service has released an updated step-by-step guide for Nigerians living abroad to renew their passports through its Contactless Passport Application System.

The Service announced the update in a post on its official X handle on Tuesday, encouraging Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the digital platform.

According to the Service, the application process involves the following steps:

1. Visit the official NIS Passport Application portal.
2. Select Continue from the pop-up window.
3. Click Apply for Renewal/Re-issue.
4. Create an account and verify your identity using your National Identification Number and date of birth.
5. Complete the application form and choose your preferred processing embassy or high commission.
6. Upload the required documents.
7. Pay the passport fee for your selected booklet.
8. Obtain your Application ID and Reference Number.
9. Select the Contactless option under the Application Status/Book Appointment section.
10. Review the contactless instructions and click “I Understand and Opt In.”
11. Download the NIS Mobile App.
12. Log in or create a profile on the app.
13. Select Passport Application Services.
14. Click Passport Biometrics Enrolment, enter your Application ID and Reference Number, and check your eligibility.
15. Capture your facial image and fingerprints.
16. Complete the liveness verification.
17. Pay the contactless service fee.
18. Submit your biometrics.

The Service, however, noted that not all applicants would qualify for the contactless process.

“If response is INELIGIBLE, then it means applicant should return to the landing page of the portal to book physical appointment at the Embassy/High Commission,” it stated.

For applicants who successfully complete the contactless biometric enrolment, the NIS said additional documents must be forwarded to the selected processing mission.

“Upon successful completion of biometrics via Contactless App, applicant should print-out the Application form, passport booklet payment, biometric payment, current Passport and enclose all in a self-addressed return envelope to the processing embassy selected during the application process,” the Service said.

It added that applicants would be able to monitor the progress of their applications after submission.

“Applicant may track successful application two weeks after submission via https://track.immigration.gov.ng or on the NIS Mobile App,” the Service added.

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PFIPC scandal: Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal suspects ‘big racket’ behind ‘fake’ agency’s budget code

Published

8 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has called for a judicial inquiry into the controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Fiscal and Infrastructure Projects Council (PFIPC), arguing that the scandal points to deep institutional failures rather than a simple administrative error.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Lawal said the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency suggested the existence of a wider network that enabled it to function within government processes despite questions over its legal status.

He insisted that an administrative investigation alone would be insufficient. “I don’t think it should even be administrative alone; it should be a judicial inquiry”, the former SGF clearly stated.

Lawal questioned claims surrounding an alleged ₦27.5bn take-off grant reportedly linked to the agency, asking how such funds could have been approved and released if the organisation had no legal basis.

“Nigerians are talking about how N1.3bn was inserted into the budget. The man himself first said the quarrel came about because he refused to part with 48% of the 27-point-something billion Naira take-off grant. That money has been spent before this budget office was looking for the budget.

“Who gave him the money? It was not appropriated for; it’s not in any budget, that N27.5bn Naira for which he says somebody demanded 48%. Who gave him the money? How did the process of generating the request for the release come up? How did it go through?

“We are just talking about the tip of the iceberg here. Down there, before we got to here, N27.5bn had already been disbursed, according to him, as a take-off grant. How did that money get to him? It was not in the budget. So this is what should frighten us. If such money can go to a fictitious organisation, we only now begin to see it when we are quarrelling about how it got into the budget. How did that money get to them?”, Babachir queried.

The former SGF argued that the controversy only became public because of disagreements over the sharing of funds rather than because government oversight mechanisms functioned effectively.

He continued,… “So you see, that’s how we got to know this to start with. That is the reason why we got to know this on his side of the coin. It’s about the sharing of the N27.5bn. That’s why the thing came up. So it didn’t work. It should have worked before that money left the government coffers into the account of the agency.”

Lawal also alleged that the scandal reflected broader institutional weaknesses within the current administration, arguing that the Office of the SGF should have detected any irregularities before the matter progressed through official channels.

He maintained that the SGF’s office bears responsibility for identifying and flagging agencies without legal backing before their requests or budgets proceed through government.

He said, “It’s institutional compromise, because in this, I sense there’s quite a big racket going on somewhere along the line. If the agency was created by maybe one big man alone, and then he wants to go through the budget process, the budget office assigns the budget code according to the chart of accounts in GIFMIS. So, how did they manage to assign the budget code for this agency that does not exist? Who inserted it?

“Because first of all, the budget office issues a budget call circular to MDAs, and everybody starts to prepare his budget according to the budget line. They give you ceilings, and you prepare your budget and forward it to the budget office as an agency or ministry. Now, the Ministry of Budget and Planning would, in our time, call every MDA to come and defend its budget. Now, if you don’t exist, how did they recognise that you are a genuine entity? Who gave out the budget code and allowed their budget to pass?

“That’s what oversight is. The SGF should be able to know, because before it gets to the National Assembly, that budget goes through the SGF. Unless there’s a dereliction of duty by the SGF’s office, the responsibility to flag that this is a fake agency would have come from them.”

Lawal further criticised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of failing to thoroughly scrutinise budget proposals.

“It is a legislative oversight. This government—this National Assembly—has no interest in scrutinising the budget that comes before them. Most of the legislators just go in there to earn their salaries and collect allowances and go. They don’t scrutinise the budget line by line. We all know how this particular government works. There are some people that when they talk, nobody else has the authority to contravene.”

He also suggested that public attention should focus not only on the agency’s legal status but on the individuals who allegedly enabled its operations.

“Why are you interested in N27.5bn that had already been collected and spent? We are talking about an agency that we are claiming doesn’t exist. Maybe it exists, but it doesn’t have a legal framework for its existence. But it exists. And there are a lot of powerful people that make sure it exists in that form.

“Those are the people we need to expose. The Chief of Staff, in particular, is so powerful. The SGF is there, just reneging on his responsibilities. And nothing has happened now”, he concluded.

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News

Fake Agency Scandal: Gbajabiamila threatens Adeyemi with N10bn defamation suit

Published

11 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, ha threatened to initiate legal steps against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, and demand N10 billion in damages over allegations linking him to murder, bribery and other criminal activities.

The move was conveyed in a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, on behalf of Pinheiro LP, the Chief of Staff’s legal representatives.

The dispute stems from a press conference held by Adeyemi on June 25, during which he accused Gbajabiamila of seeking a share of the alleged take-off funds of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), receiving money through intermediaries, abusing his office and participating in efforts to conceal wrongdoing.Death & Tragedy

During the briefing, Adeyemi also referred to the Chief of Staff as “a murderer” and “an assassin”.

The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC is a fictitious organisation, despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Gbajabiamila’s lawyers dismissed all the allegations as entirely false and defamatory, saying they were intended to damage his reputation.

The letter stated: “not only false but gravely defamatory,” adding that the allegations were “designed to portray our client as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.”

According to the legal team, Adeyemi is already standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, over allegations including forgery of an appointment letter bearing Gbajabiamila’s purported signature and the alleged counterfeiting of Presidential letter-headed papers to present himself as a government official.Nigeria Investment Guide

The lawyers further rejected Adeyemi’s claims that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of a purported N27.4 billion take-off grant for the council, amounting to about N12.5 billion, or that he received N400 million through proxies connected to appointments within the organisation.

Other allegations dismissed in the letter included claims that the Chief of Staff intimidated individuals and media organisations, manipulated budget processes, attempted to misuse security agencies and performed official duties while under the influence of intoxicating substances.Trending News Feed

Gbajabiamila also denied ever having any relationship with Adeyemi.

“You have never at any time met, interacted with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him,” the lawyers wrote, adding that the decision to “fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication.”

The legal team also criticised the timing of the allegations, noting that they were made after criminal proceedings had already been instituted against Adeyemi.

“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal Charge had been filed against you,” the letter stated.

It added, “Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process.”Nigeria Investment Guide

Gbajabiamila’s lawyers demanded that Adeyemi immediately stop making further defamatory statements, remove all related videos, recordings and transcripts from every platform, issue a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms used to circulate the claims, and provide a written undertaking that he would refrain from making further allegations.

The letter warned that failure to comply would result in both criminal defamation proceedings under the laws of the Federal Capital Territory and a civil lawsuit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages. The damages, it said, would be donated to a charity chosen by Gbajabiamila. The legal action would also seek a perpetual injunction and a court order compelling the publication of an apology.

The controversy centres on the PFIPC, which was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the title Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and received more than N1.3 billion in budgetary allocations, including about N803 million for personnel, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital expenditure.

Adeyemi had argued during his June 25 press conference that an agency included in a budget signed by the President could not be regarded as non-existent.

However, the Presidency insists the council is fraudulent and has no legal existence.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has argued that the Presidency lacks the constitutional authority to clear anyone involved in the dispute and has called for an independent investigation into the allegations against both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi.

Adeyemi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court on July 27, 2026.

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