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‘ECOWAS needs to run leaner, smarter organisation’

By Terhemba Daka, Abuja
03 March 2018   |   5:06 am
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must run a leaner and smarter organisation by cutting costs and becoming more efficient to achieve the objectives of the sub-regional body. Speaking while receiving the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean Claude Brou, at the State House, Abuja, the…

ECOWAS

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must run a leaner and smarter organisation by cutting costs and becoming more efficient to achieve the objectives of the sub-regional body.

Speaking while receiving the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean Claude Brou, at the State House, Abuja, the President also called on the member states of the organisation to pay their annual contributions as and when due.

A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as saying that a lot of work had already been done towards cutting running cost, for which a committee had recommended the reduction of the number of commissioners, and the cost of keeping them in office.

“We must work towards limiting costs, keeping the number of statutory positions low and running the organisation more efficiently,” he said.

While welcoming Brou to Abuja, Buhari pledged the full support of the Nigerian government in ensuring that his tenure was successful, adding: “The task is enormous. The job is not easy, given the many challenges facing the sub-region, ranging from issues of security and that posed by the environment, including the shrinkage of the Lake Chad.”

He, however, stressed the full commitment of Nigeria, working with other ECOWAS member countries, towards finding lasting solutions to the problems.

In his remarks, Brou said he had come to inform the President of his assumption of office at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja from this week.

He expressed preparedness to address priority issues, such as the common currency, restructuring of the organisation and the pending issue of new memberships.

He also presented a special message from the Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara to Buhari and condoled him on the recent deaths of his family members.

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