Osinbajo Departs Nigeria Over Coups In African Countries

Nigeria’s vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has left the country on Thursday for a meeting with leaders of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) over the recent military takeover in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

The vice president  is representing Nigeria at the Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Thursday morning titled ‘President delegates Osinbajo to ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on political situation in Burkina Faso, Mali & Guinea.’

According to Akande, Thursday’s meeting will “review the report of the ECOWAS delegation dispatched to Ouagadougou to meet with the military junta who recently seized power in Burkina Faso.

“The summit will be attended by regional leaders who will consider imposing additional sanctions after the country was suspended from the regional body last week.”

On Monday, January 21, soldiers forced the removal of democratically-elected President Roch Kabore from office in a military coup. The military takeover of government in Burkina Faso follows the same occurrence in Mali and Guinea recently.

The Vice President will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, Presidential Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Dr Adeyemi Dipeolu, and other top Nigerian diplomats. The VP is expected back in Abuja later today.