ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, for Lagos to participate in activities marking the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc founded on May 28, 1975, to promote economic integration across West Africa.
The golden jubilee celebrations, which began in April with a launch event in Accra, Ghana, will continue this week with a series of commemorative events in Lagos, culminating in a re-enactment of the original 1975 declaration at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu — who currently serves as chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government — is expected to deliver a keynote address at the Eko Hotels and Suites, focusing on the economic achievements and future trajectory of the regional bloc.
Also scheduled to speak at the event is General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former head of state and the only surviving signatory to the founding treaty of ECOWAS.
Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, will deliver the welcome address, while former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, will present a retrospective review of ECOWAS’s five-decade journey.
In addition to the ECOWAS celebration, President Tinubu will commission several key infrastructure projects across Lagos State on Saturday, May 31, 2025, signalling ongoing efforts to boost connectivity and economic development.
Among the projects to be commissioned are:
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Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
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Lekki Deep Seaport Tax Credit Concrete Road
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Flag-off of Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
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7th Axial Road Project in Lagos
Virtually, the President will also commission:
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Kano-Kanwar-Danja-Hadejiya Section II Road
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Yakasai-Zalli Road
Additionally, he will flag off:
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Kano Northern Bypass
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Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai Section I Road
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Dabai-Kafur-Malumfashi Road
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Malumfashi-Dayi-Yashe-Gidan Mutum Daya Section III Road
The presidency said Tinubu will observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House Mosque in Dodan Barracks, Lagos, before returning to Abuja.
This week’s events come as Nigeria plays host to dignitaries and stakeholders from across West Africa, underscoring the country’s central role in regional politics and economic cooperation since ECOWAS’s inception.
