President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to arrive in Lagos on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and to commission a number of legacy projects executed by his administration.
The golden jubilee commemoration of ECOWAS, which began with a formal flag-off ceremony in Accra, Ghana, last month, will continue in Lagos with a series of high-level events bringing together regional leaders, past and present Nigerian statesmen, diplomats, and development partners.
One of the highlights of the Lagos leg of the celebration will be a symbolic reenactment of the original 1975 declaration establishing ECOWAS. This will take place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, the same venue where Nigeria’s role in the formation of the sub-regional bloc was first institutionalized.
President Tinubu, who currently serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will deliver a keynote address at a commemorative event to be held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, where he will spotlight the achievements, resilience, and strategic importance of ECOWAS in fostering regional integration, economic development, and peacekeeping across West Africa over the past five decades.
Also expected to speak is General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Nigeria’s former Head of State and the only surviving signatory to the founding ECOWAS treaty. Gen. Gowon will participate in all anniversary events and deliver a goodwill message reflecting on the vision that birthed the regional body.
Other dignitaries billed to feature prominently include Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, who will give the welcome address; and Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Chairman of the NIIA Governing Council and former Minister of External Affairs, who will present an overview of ECOWAS’s 50-year journey. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with notable scholars and policymakers.
In addition to his ECOWAS engagements, President Tinubu will use the opportunity of his visit to Lagos to inaugurate a series of key infrastructure projects under his Renewed Hope Agenda. On Saturday, May 31, he is expected to commission:
- Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
- The Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road
- The flag-off of Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
- The 7th Axial Road in Lagos
The President will also perform virtual commissioning of several strategic federal road projects in the northern part of the country. These include:
- Kano–Kanwar–Danja–Hadejia Road (Section II)
- Yakasai–Zalli Road
- The flag-off of the Kano Northern By-pass
- Zaria–Hunkuyi–Dabai Road (Section I)
- Dabai–Kafur–Malumfashi Road
- Malumfashi–Dayi–Yashe–Gidan Mutum Daya Road (Section III)
President Tinubu is expected to observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House Mosque in Dodan Barracks, Ikoyi, Lagos, before returning to Abuja.
The Lagos events not only affirm Nigeria’s central role in ECOWAS but also reflect the administration’s commitment to infrastructural development and regional leadership.
