The Role of Nigeria in the Formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

 

The Role of Nigeria in the Formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

By Emeka Esogbue

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has since 1960 when it gained independence from the British with Jaja Wachukwu as its First Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commons later called Foreign Affairs, played roles in the formation and development of international organizations though the focus of the country’s foreign policy has always been on Africa¹

Although African unity and independence, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-alignment and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, regional economic integration, cooperation and development have been the focal points in its relations with other nations, Nigeria has played role that guarantee the effectiveness of international organizations to which she is a member.

As a state, Nigeria has participated in the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) which later evolved into the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations, the Chad Basin Commission and also championed the interest of Africa in the Pan Africanism among several others. Indeed, Nigeria played unquantifiable roles in the formation of the Organization for African Unity. The country backed the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa against the apartheid regime of South Africa. During the 1975 Angolan Civil War in East Africa, Nigeria used its diplomatic influence to back the Movement for the Liberation of Angola which the popular choice of the then Organization of African Unity as against the national Union for the Total Independence of Angola.

In a related development, Nigeria played roles in support of the African People’s Organization in Namibia. This support was aimed at aiding Sam Najuoma against what was termed the apartheid regime imposed on the country by the South African government and was seen as landmark achievement for the country.   

Within the West African sub-region to which the country is geographically located, the country has also played a central role in pursuit of the goal of regional economic cooperation and development of the people of this region. This role which aims at harmonizing trade and investment practices and ultimately creation of a full custom union for the 16 member-states led to the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

However, by Nigeria’s contribution in this avenue, she did not only take the lead on the need to encourage good neighborly relations within the West African sub-region but in the long run played a role as leader in the formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Generally, Nigeria’s role as leader in the process of forming the Economic Community of West African States is upheld by Ojo (2005:571) as generally acknowledged by Africans²

In all, the role played by Nigeria in the inauguration of the Economic Community of West African States and its sustainability is the subjects of this paper.

FORMATION OF ECOWAS

It is important to note that before the establishment of Economic Community of West African States the collective territory known today as West Africa, was made up of an aggregation of states that emerged from different colonial experiences and administrations though there were notable kingdoms and empires that occupied the region before the era of colonialism.

The formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is closely tied to the foreign policy objective of Nigeria, which is centered on African nations; and as Garba (1987:12) noted “it had been clear from the very beginning that Nigeria’s foreign policy would be characterized by a new sense of direction especially in Africa³.

The first call for the establishment of a West African Community was made by President William Tubman of Liberia in 1964. It was on the basis of this that Cote d’Ivoure, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone signed an agreement in February 1965.

However, it was not until 1972 that the proposal made by General Yakubu Gowon and his Togolese Counterpart, Gnassingbe Eyadema would re-launch the idea. A meeting was called for in Lome, Togo from 10-15 December 1973 which provided the platform for the study of the draft treaty. Furthermore, the draft treaty was examined by experts and jurists in Accra, Ghana in 1974 and also by a ministerial meeting in Monrovia in January 1975 thus ECOWAS emerged in 1975. Nevertheless, the protocol launching the sub-regional body was signed in Lome, Togo, on November 5, 1976.

In summary, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 by 15-member nations who signed a treaty in Lagos on 28^th May of the same year. In 1976, the Economic Community of West African States was joined by a 16^th member Cape Verde, a Lusophone country while Mauritania would withdraw its membership of the Community in December 2002 so membership of ECOWAS is now back to 15.

Currently, the members of the Economic Community of West African States are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra-Leone and Togo occupying an area of about 6.2 Square Kilometers with a total population of 215 million in 2002 according to Rodriguez⁴

LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE OF ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States comprises of three arms of government which are the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary loosely broken down as the Authority of Heads of States and Government, the Council of Ministers, the Community Tribunal, Community Court of Justice, the Executive Secretariat, the ECOWAS Parliament and the Specialized Commissions.

At the helm of the organization’s structure is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government appointed by other Heads of States and Government to oversee the affairs for a period of one year. The Ministers in charge of ECOWAS affairs in the country of the Chairman of the Authority automatically becomes the Chairman of Council of Ministers. Similarly, that country presides over all other. At the helm of the Executive arm of the Community is the President of ECOWAS Commission appointed by the Authority for a non-renewable period of four years. He is assisted by a vice-President and thirteen Commissioners.

The Legislative arm of the Community is the parliament headed by the Speaker of the Parliaments. The administrative functions of the parliament are directed by the secretary.    

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF ECOWAS

For Chambers, the original vision of the Founding Fathers of ECOWAS was intraregional commerce and cooperation, which was both ambitious and visionary, and also being 30 years ahead of the current globalization trend⁵.   

However, as one can see the goals of the Economic Community of West African States, the aims and objectives of the sub-regional body extend beyond economic integration to include the under-listed:

·         To create customs union in the region

·         To promote cultural interaction among member states

·         To promote industrial development among member states

·         To liberalize trade between member states

·         To foster co-operation in specialized fields

·         To improve relations between member states

·         To pursue and maintain peace within the West African region

·         To harmonize agricultural and economic policies

·         To establish common fund

·         To implement infrastructural schemes  

THE ROLE OF NIGERIA TOWARDS THE FORMATION OF ECOWAS

It is generally acknowledged that Nigeria contributed enormously to the formation of the Economic Community of West African States, an argument ably captured by Ojo (1980), who has reported that Nigeria played the key role in the intensive three-year diplomatic activities culminating in ECOWAS…”⁶

In fact, Nigeria spearheaded the formation of Economic of West African States during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon who was the nation’s Head of State. It has been submitted that Gowon’s idea was collective achievement of self-sufficiency through integration of the 16 West African states into an economic bloc with a common market and this shaped the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as it exists today⁷

It was on the basis of this that General Yakubu Gowon and his Togolese counterpart, General Gnassingbe Eyadema undertook a “diplomatic shuttle” within the West African region and eventually called for a meeting in Lome, Togo where 12 countries met from December 10-15, 1974, an arrangement that would consequently lead to the establishment of the Community in the following year.

In any case, the role played by the two influential military leaders as championed by Nigeria, which emanated from various bilateral meetings between Nigeria and Togo under the leadership of Gowon and Eyadema formed the nucleus of ECOWAS in the 1970s.

Added to this development is that it was Gowon that had to chair the Group of Eminent Personalities that revised the Organization’s Treaty in 1993. This was perhaps due to the roles played by him which led to the formation of the Organization in the first place and on the other hand, his experience in the affairs of the sub-regional body. The Treaty in particular was revised in Cotonou, Benin Republic in July 23, 1993 with the new Treaty adapted being a less rigid collaboration which united ECOWA. This is another means by which Nigeria has ensured the sustainability of the Economic Community of West Africa

As Gowon recalled several years after, “the diplomatic shuttle undertaken by officials of his government and those of other countries in the region after Nigeria Civil War and the need to streamline the various bilateral agreements among the countries into document that spoke to the needs and aspiration of the Community were instrumental to the formation of the Economic Community of West African States”⁸.

Nigeria’s contribution to the formation of ECOWAS was not all about General Yakubu Gowon as the regime of General Murtala Muhammed also played vital roles in this regard. For instance, the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States sited in Abuja today is against an earlier agreement between General Gowon and Eyadema. Both leaders had prior to Murtala’s administration concluded that the headquarters of the sub-regional organization would be located in Lome, Togo but Murtala in acting otherwise, sited the headquarters of the sub-regional body in Lagos.

It was the Murtala Muhammed regime that overthrew Gowon that reviewed the said agreement as recounted by Garba, a testimony that the formation of ECOWAS was an outcome of diplomatic initiative between Nigeria and Togo.⁹    

Much as General Murtala’s action explains the location of the Community’s headquarters in Nigeria, it is suggestive of the forceful diplomacy that accompanied the formation of the sub-regional body and also the role played by Nigeria in ensuring its creation.  

ROLES PLAYED BY NIGERIA IN ENSURNG SUSTAINABILITY OF ECOWAS

Historically, Nigeria has played fundamental roles aimed at backing the sustainability of the Economic Community of West African States. These roles extend beyond the formative stage of the sub-regional body as the country has continually played roles that foster the development of the Community. These roles have ensured that even after its formation, ECOWAS has continued to flourishingly carry out its day to day activities and also pursue its set objectives since its foundation in 1975.

In its quest to ensure ECOWAS sustainability, Nigeria has in terms of financial obligations, contributed more money to the Economic Community of West African States than 13 other Member states put together in the last 12 years, and these countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoure, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo¹⁰

Statistics on payment of the Community as reported by The Punch Newspaper shows that between 2003 and 2015, Nigeria paid $710,497,352. This document was presented to the Economic Community of West African States as part of the Commission’s report during the Extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament¹¹.                

In the 1970s, Nigeria as a means of facilitating trade and boosting contacts among member states has encouraged the link up member states. An instance of this is the construction of the Lagos-Cotonou Road which was done at a rate highly subsidized by the Nigerian government¹².

Today, a major highway provides Nigeria a link to Cotonou and other neighbouring countries in what is regarded as an avenue that has boosted trade within the West African axis.

It is on record that on March 6 2006, the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission met in Abuja, the Nigerian capital where the Ministers of Transportation from both countries met to discuss rail link from the Kaura Namoda through Sokoto to Birni n’Konri in Niger Republic¹³.    

Another role Nigeria played in sustaining ECOWAS is in the area of generation of hydroelectric power which it supplied to member states. The country substantially generated and supplied hydroelectric power to Niger. The country also supplied gas to Benin, Togo, Ghana under a N5million Nigeria-inter ECOWAS pipeline gas project¹⁴

Economically, Nigeria encouraged the establishment of Iron and Industries in Liberia and Guinea. For instance, the country invested $350,000 in Guinea for the production of iron-ore and in return was guaranteed One Million tons of good quality iron-ore on annual basis.  In consideration of abundant limestone in Togo, Nigeria would in a joint arrangement with that country establish Cement Industrial Complex in Togo. In Benin Republic, Nigeria and Benin Republic jointly set up sugar factory in that country in which it was agreed that 49% would go to Benin Republic, 46% for Nigeria with the remaining 5% due to expatriates.

Noteworthy is that Nigeria, in July 1986 donated the sum of N5 million for the construction of the ECOWAS headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. Although the total amount required for the completion of the project was N15 million, the Nigeria Government financed 15% of this cost.

 

PEACEKEEPING: AN ASPECT OF NIGERIA’S CONTRIBUTIONS

Mention must be of the fact that the West African region like others on the larger continent has hardly been free from political conflicts. Shortly after the independence of these countries, conflicts mostly fueled by ethno-religious bigotry, disagreement over resources, jostle for political power among the military and civilians often break out. For instance, shortly after independence, crisis broke out in Nigeria and could not be resolved without bloodshed.

However, as from 1980s, West Africa became a jungle of wars as there were crises that necessitated the deployment of foreign troops from within the sub-region unlike the Nigerian situation of 1967. Some of these countries were Liberia (1989/1990 to 1997 and 1999 to 2003), Sierra Leone (1991 to 2002), Cote d’Ivoure (2002 to 2007, and 2010 to 2011), and Gambia (2016/2017).

As these crises broke out beginning with the Liberian crisis which was purely a civil war, the Economic Community of West African States which already had the goal of economic integration within the sub-region quickly adjusted to find ways by which these crises would be curtailed. This situation ushered in an era of peacekeeping within the West African region.  

Nigeria also made laudable contributions in the area of this peace-keeping to ECOWAS by participating in the peacekeeping missions of the sub-regional body. Although the original objective of ECOWAS was centered on economic integration, incessant conflicts within the region which immediately started in 1980 caused the Community to deviate from this original goal to peace-keeping. In the art of peace-keeping various Nigerian governments; military and civilian alike have played roles towards peacekeeping within the ECOWAS arrangement and enclave.      

Leaders of the various countries that make up ECOWAS have always held the perception that it is impossible to attain developmental strides within the West African sub-region in the absence of security and peace thus the idea of peacekeeping in the region. It was not therefore surprising that the Liberian crisis became a reconsideration of ECOWAS set goals and objectives, a situation Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambers, the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS describes as an erosion of the original mandate of the economic cooperation, economic development, fighting poverty and stepping up trade of ECOWAS¹⁵

Nigeria’s first involvement in ECOWAS peacekeeping was during the Liberian crisis was made possible by the 13^th session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government in Banjul, Gambia under the Chairmanship of Blaise Campraore of Burkina Faso. This session held from May 28-30, 1990 and a commission was set up for the establishment of ECOWAS Monitoring Group¹⁶.

At the time, ECOMOG had the following objectives:

·         To halt armed conflict and prevent its reoccurrence

·         To create a stable environment for negotiation, which could lead to peaceful resolution among parties

·         To diffuse tension among parties

It was basically on the strength of the setting up of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) that Nigeria under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida participated in peacekeeping in Liberia¹⁷.        

Although some Nigerians expressed fears on the capability of the Nigerian economy to cater for a crisis of that magnitude, Gen Babangida was more concerned about good neighbourliness and the effect the conflict would supposedly have on Nigeria and other countries within the sub-region. It was for these reasons that Nigeria participated in peacekeeping in that country.

In the end, the government of General Ibrahim Babangida in pursuit of Nigeria’s foreign policy towards a West African country had provided 80 percent of ECOMOG troops, 90 percent of the funding and had also suffered an estimated 1000 fatalities in what observers would largely describe as disposition influenced by Babangida’s friendship with the then Liberian President, Samuel Doe.  

Following the political crisis that broke out in Sierra Leone in which Teejan Kabbah was toppled by the military coup led Johnny Koromah, Kabah appealed to the international community for help which stimulated Nigeria under the then military leadership of Gen Sani Abacha to intervene under the regional initiative. The Nigeria led ECOMOG dislodge Johnny Koromah in Sierra Leone.  

Nigeria would again join six other ECOWAS members to shut down its embassy in Freetown. It was in compliance of an order by the ECOWAS Council of Foreign Ministers.

In the bid to provide peacekeeping in West Africa, Nigeria has committed 8 field Commanders to ECOMOG. The country has also contributed about 70% of the troops in peacekeeping operations in West Africa.

In what has been viewed as a move to guarantee political stability in West Africa, Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo gave a broader idea of this when he announced that Nigeria spent $8 billion and has lost about 500 men in the Liberian and Sierra Leone crises¹⁸        

CONCLUSION

In concluding this paper, it is to be understood that Nigeria has played remarkable role in the formation of the Economic Community of West African States, helping to shape it to its present state. This role can be seen as an outcome of an intensive diplomatic initiative mostly between Nigeria and Togo which occurred between 1972 and 1975 as facilitated by the then Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon and General Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo.

It is also to be noted that Nigeria’s contributions towards the formation of this sub-regional body is as a result of its foreign policy objectives which is centered on Africa. It is on the strength of these objectives mapped out to guide its interactions with other countries in Africa that Nigeria contributed to the formation and development of ECOWAS.

Nigeria’s support to ECOWAS gave the country a natural leadership role underlined by its substantial contributions towards this sub-regional body. It was on the strength of this that Nigeria contributed to the stability, economic fortunes and peace and security within the West African area because it is believed that the major objectives of ECOWAS which is economic integration can only be achieved where peace and security reign.

Finally, it becomes interesting to note that not only did Nigeria play roles to bring to existence the Economic Community of West African States but also committed immeasurable amount of capital, technical support and human resources, all of which in the end, guaranteed adequate sustainability of what exists today as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). More importantly, Nigeria has related with these countries within ECOWAS making sacrifices and also deriving some benefits.