ECOWAS failing due to poor governance, trust deficit – Gov Mohammed
By Samuel Luka
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has observed that the West African community is failing as a result of poor governance, a trust deficit among leaders, and weak institutional accountability.
This is contained in a press statement made available to newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Comrade Mukhtar Gidado.
He disclosed that the governor spoke when he joined distinguished leaders and scholars at the Christ Church College University of Oxford on 9th May, 2025 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The statement which indicated that the governor and other leaders were hosted at the Hammond Hall of Christ Church College by Katherine Jane Willis, Baroness Willis of Summertown said such failures are not abstract and they impact peoples lives every day.
Governor Mohammed who pointed to the ongoing reforms in his state-Bauchi, Northeast of Nigeria also spoke on the importance of leadership rooted in responsibility, transparency, and empowerment.
Governor Mohammed highlighted Bauchi State’s strides in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic empowerment as a microcosm of the broader regional aspirations.
He called for increased cooperation among West African nations to harness shared resources and address common challenges and reinforce the vision of united and prosperous ECOWAS.
The governor while re-echoing ex-president Obasanjo’s concerns about ECOWAS, pointed to a deeper malaise afflicting the regional body: poor governance, a deficit of trust, and weak institutional accountability.
He also highlighted the imperative of evolving a leadership culture rooted in visionary principles and urged ECOWAS leadership to embrace it if the body is to survive another half-century.
On his part, former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, according to the press statement had while delivering keynote address, offered a sobering assessment of a bloc once hailed as a model for regional integration in Africa.
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He recalled the early efforts to advance free movement, trade integration, and Pan-African solidarity, but warned that those gains now hang in the balance.
“The trust that once existed among West African leaders is eroding”, the press statement quoted Obasanjo as saying.
“Without cooperation and committed leadership, the region cannot move forward”, it added.
The governor said Obasanjo’s remarks came amid growing concern over regional instability and the rise of competing alliances such as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), formed in defiance of ECOWAS by military-led governments in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Comrade Gidado said during the Question and Answer session, the audience showed particular interest in Governor Mohammed’s emphasis on leadership and responsibility who also elaborated on his belief that good governance must begin at the grassroots, with leaders held to clear standards of accountability and service.
The forum closed with a renewed call for regional solidarity, though the tone was markedly sober. As the organisation enters its sixth decade, the challenge for ECOWAS, participants agreed, will not only entail preserving its foundational ideals, but adapting them to a rapidly shifting political landscape”, the press statement stated.
