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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Exit Weakens ECOWAS Integration, Tinubu Aide Says

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Presidential media aide Sunday Dare said the January 2025 withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger weakened ECOWAS integration mechanisms and regional cooperation.
  • He linked effective border management to economic integration and regional security, while rejecting claims that Nigeria’s borders were closed.
  • Dare said open borders still require controls by immigration, customs and security agencies; Defence Minister Christopher Musa said national security remained a government priority.

The departure of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS has blunted the West African bloc’s integration framework and created a major regional crisis, according to Nigerian presidential aide Sunday Dare.

The three Sahelian countries formally left ECOWAS in January 2025 after declaring their intention to withdraw the previous year. They later deepened cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States, creating what Dare described as another regional body alongside ECOWAS.

The rupture that came in 2025 when the countries pulled out of ECOWAS created a major regional crisis. That pullout from ECOWAS simply blunted the ECOWAS protocol that promoted integration and the free movement of goods and services.

· Sunday DareTinubu’s media and public communications adviser described the regional consequences of the three countries’ withdrawal.

Speaking at a Defence Ministry policy colloquium in Abuja, Dare said the withdrawal weakened protocols intended to support economic integration and the free movement of goods and services. He said it also challenged other instruments for regional cooperation.

Dare linked border management to both economic activity and security. In his view, borders serve as the frontline for protecting regional stability. Proper management can support integration, he said, while poor management can contribute to instability.

The Interior Minister has stated the facts. Nigeria’s borders are open. And let me say for a fact, when it comes to the stability of our borders, when it comes to security, it should not be an arena of politicking or an arena to seek votes or to score cheap political points.

· Sunday DareDare rejected claims that Nigeria’s borders were closed and cautioned against politicizing border security.

He also rejected claims that Nigeria had closed its borders, saying the country’s borders remained open. At the same time, he stressed that open borders did not mean uncontrolled movement. Immigration, customs and other security agencies, he said, still regulate crossings. Dare warned politicians against turning border security into an electoral issue or using it to seek votes and score political points.

Defence Minister Christopher Musa said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was prioritizing national security to protect Nigeria’s sovereignty, preserve democratic institutions and support national development.

Our borders are critical. There are no open borders without controls. So you must understand there is a distinction.

· Sunday DareHe clarified that open borders remain subject to immigration, customs and security controls.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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