Implement critical but difficult policies now, Buhari advises ECOWAS leaders
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed President Muhammadu Buhari Champion of the COVID-19 response. Presidents of West African countries under the aegis of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government announced the appointment at the Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit on COVID-19 which was held via teleconferencing. President Buhari, while speaking at […]
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed President Muhammadu Buhari Champion of the COVID-19 response.
Presidents of West African countries under the aegis of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government announced the appointment at the Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit on COVID-19 which was held via teleconferencing.
President Buhari, while speaking at the summit presided over by the Chairman of the regional body, and President Mahamadou Issoufou of the Republic of Niger, said that this is the time for his colleagues to implement critical policies that are hitherto difficult to accept.
“In every challenging situation such as the current one, there are also opportunities. Our region must therefore seek to find those opportunities provided by this gloomy global outlook for its benefit by embarking on the implementation of such critical policies, which before now, will be difficult to accept,” he said in a statement issued yesterday by his spokesperson Femi Adesina.
He also appealed to fellow ECOWAS leaders to look beyond the challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemic and tap into various opportunities that it presents for the betterment of lives in Member States.
Buhari, who called on his colleagues to intensify collaboration in order to save the region from “this deadly pandemic through sharing our experiences and best practices”, outlined some measures taken by his government in response to the pandemic.
He said that unprecedented economic uncertainties, including severe fiscal and foreign exchange constraints, amid a slowdown in global economic growth that most nations are grappling with, have made it imperative for “our sub-region to refocus on accelerating the implementation of our popular vision of ‘ECOWAS of the people’ by adopting dynamic regional policies aimed at providing relief to our citizens.”
“Despite declining revenues, government continues to spend massively on the containment of the virus, medical care for those infected and minimizing impact of the crisis on the poor and vulnerable. This situation puts severe pressure on our finances by increasing our expenditures amid dwindling revenues. This invariably has led to a restructuring and reduction of our budget,” he added.
The President, who rallied other leaders to embrace agriculture, technology and innovation in order to emerge stronger, voiced Nigeria’s solidarity with other member states as they battle the virus.