President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Tuesday for Lagos to headline the 50th anniversary celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a milestone event marking half a century of regional integration and cooperation.

The golden jubilee festivities, which kicked off in Accra, Ghana, last month, will continue with a symbolic reenactment of the 1975 ECOWAS declaration at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island, Lagos.

As current Chairman of ECOWAS, President Tinubu will lead regional leaders in highlighting the achievements and challenges of the bloc during a commemorative event at Eko Hotels and Suites.

He will also spotlight Nigeria’s leadership role in promoting economic and political stability across West Africa.

Joining the President at the ceremony will be retired General Yakubu Gowon, the only surviving head of state who signed the original ECOWAS declaration.

Gowon is expected to deliver a keynote address reflecting on the regional body’s five-decade journey.

NIIA Chairman and former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, will deliver a retrospective review of ECOWAS, followed by a panel discussion featuring prominent diplomats and policy experts.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, will give the welcome address.

In addition to the ECOWAS celebrations, President Tinubu will on Saturday, 31 st May, commission major infrastructure projects that underline his administration’s commitment to transformative development.

Among the projects to be unveiled are Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Lekki Deep Sea Port Tax Credit Concrete Road, and the flag-off of Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and the 7th Axial Road.

The President will also virtually inaugurate several northern road projects, including the Kano-Kanwar-Danja-Hadejiya Section II Road, Yakasai-Zalli Road, Kano Northern By-pass, and multiple sections of the Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai and Malumfashi-Dayi-Gidan Mutum Daya corridors.

President Tinubu is expected to observe Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the State House, Dodan Barracks, before returning to Abuja.