By Miriam Humbe
Vice President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, His Excellency Anthony Oluwatosin Ogunjimi, has commended the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and acknowledged the significant contributions of Nigeria to peace, security and regional stability within the West African sub-region.
Major General Samaila Uba, the Director, Defence Information disclosed this in a statement signed on Thursday.
The Vice President noted this on Thursday, 12 November 2026, when he paid a familiarisation visit to the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, where he was received by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede.
During the visit, Mr Ogunjimi acknowledged Nigeria’s longstanding commitment to regional peace and security, particularly the contributions of the Armed Forces of Nigeria towards stabilisation efforts and peace support initiatives in Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. He noted that Nigeria’s commitment to collective security remains a significant pillar of ECOWAS’ regional integration and stability efforts.
He further commended the leadership of the Defence Headquarters for its continued commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity and supporting regional security objectives. He expressed the ECOWAS Commission’s desire to deepen its institutional relationship with the Defence Headquarters, particularly in areas of security cooperation, strategic engagement and collaborative initiatives aimed at addressing emerging security challenges across the sub-region.
In his response, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede underscored the importance of sustained partnerships and collective responsibility in addressing the complex security challenges confronting West Africa.
He emphasised that regional security could only be effectively strengthened through cooperation, mutual trust and a shared commitment among member states.
The CDS encouraged sister nations within the ECOWAS community to strengthen their collaboration, deepen military to military relationships and work collectively towards advancing the objectives of the regional organisation. He noted that the security challenges confronting the sub-region transcend national boundaries and therefore require coordinated responses, intelligence sharing and enhanced operational cooperation.
General Oluyede further reiterated the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s commitment to supporting regional peace, stability and security in line with Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives and its longstanding commitment to collective security within the West African sub-region.
The visit further reinforced the existing strategic relationship between the ECOWAS Commission and the Defence Headquarters.
