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ECOWAS maintains borders open for Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger

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ECOWAS

Despite the official withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the bloc, the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) announced on Wednesday that citizens and businesses from these countries will continue to enjoy key benefits of membership to maintain regional stability.

“The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger from ECOWAS has become effective today, 29th January 2025,” the statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission on Wednesday read.

ECOWAS assured that passports and identity cards bearing its logo will remain valid for travel within the region.

According to the statement, their citizens will retain visa-free access, residence, and establishment rights across ECOWAS states.

“However, in the spirit of regional solidarity and in the interest of the people, as well as the decision of the ECOWAS Authority to keep ECOWAS’ doors open, all relevant authorities within and outside ECOWAS Member States are requested and required to:

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“Recognise National passports and identity cards bearing the ECOWAS logo held by the citizens of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, until further notice. Continue to treat goods and services coming from the three countries in accordance with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and investment policy.

“Allow citizens of the three affected countries to continue to enjoy the right of visa-free movement, residence and establishment in accordance with the ECOWAS protocols until further notice. Provide full support and cooperation to ECOWAS officials from the three countries in the course of their assignments for the Community,” the statement read.

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A special ECOWAS committee has been established to negotiate future engagement with the three countries, ensuring that the transition does not negatively impact millions of people who rely on cross-border movement and trade.

The statement added, “These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the three countries by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

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“The Commission has set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries. This message is necessary to avoid confusion and disruption in the lives and businesses of our people during this transition period.”

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Abuja Drug Raid: 3 NDLEA officers hospitalised after sustaining gunshot injuries

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Three officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have been hospitalized for gunshot injuries sustained after they came under attack from some armed men during a raid operation in the Jahi area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Thursday night.

A statement by the Director Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said, “The incident occurred when a team of NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence and surveillance report raided an uncompleted building at NNPC area of Jahi where 74 bottles of codeine, 10 liters of codeine syrup, 48 grams of tramadol 225mg and 4.9kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, as well as five android phones were recovered.

“As the NDLEA team made their way out of the location, they came under gun attack.

“Three of the NDLEA personnel involved in the raid sustained gunshot injuries: one in the rib and two others on their back and leg.

“The wounded officers were initially stabilized at the Police Clinic in Garki Area 1 before they were transferred to the National Hospital Abuja for further medical attention.”

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Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), expressed appreciation to the staff of the Police Clinic for their prompt support.

He also thanked the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, whom he reached out to for assistance in overseeing the treatment of the wounded officers.

The NDLEA boss, who is in Kano on official engagements, also spoke on the phone with the injured officers to wish them a quick recovery.

He assured them that the Agency would deploy every means at its disposal and work in collaboration with other security agencies to identify those responsible for the attack on them.

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Experts urge individuals, business owners to imbibe tenacity, resilience to overcome life challenges

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Experts drawn from diverse field of endeavours have charged individuals, business owners and employees to imbibe the spirit of tenacity, resilience, and the right mindset in order to overcome adversity in life or business.

This submission forms part of the highlight at the third edition of the Imperfectly Awesome Conversations Summit hosted by Omotola Bamigbaiye and held on Sunday, April 13, 2025 at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

Imperfectly Awesome is Omotola Bamigbaiye’s ode to Resilience and Tenacity, which she first put together in her book titled, “Imperfectly Awesome”. It was written in an honest and relatable tone to help people love themselves, reinvent, and bloom.

Delivering her welcome remarks at the occasion, the convener, Imperfectly Awesome Conversations Summit, Omotola Bamigbaiye, noted that the platform remains a veritable avenue for experts to share their experiences so that people can be inspired and learn from them.

Bamigbaiye said her experience had shown that failure or pitfall is not the end but an opportunity for growth.

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In his keynote remarks, the Project Delivery Manager, NLNG, Amos Ologunleko, urged the gathering to begin to act like reformers who are ready to go against the norm and rebuild systems with clarity and courage.

Ologunleko, emphasising the need for the gathering to learn to take ownership as this remains a key principle of transformation, said learning to take responsibility as against passing the buck or blaming one another would go a long way to usher in growth and progress not only as an individual but as a business.

Speaking during the first panel session, the Marketing Manager, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Omolara Banjoko, while drawing from her childhood experience noted that resilience was pivotal to overcoming challenges in life.

Banjoko, charging everyone to keep pushing regardless of whatever maybe confronting them, emphasized the need for young people in the workplace to give adequate priority to their personal growth as they strive to reach their desired heights. She underscored the significance of soft skills in the work place as it remains a tool for professional excellence.

“These days, we take soft skills like precision, consistency, and discipline for granted, yet these are foundational to both personal and professional excellence,” she said.

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In her remarks during another panel session, a transformation expert, Dr. Folakemi Fadahunsi explained that the best approach to overcoming impostor syndrome by any individual is to believe in oneself or develop a can-do spirit.

Also commenting, Senior National Program Specialist, United Nation Women, Patience Ekeoba stated that the society has been structured in a way that women suffer all forms of exclusion. Ekeoba called on men, employers of labour to reverse the trend by ensuring that women not only sit at the decision-making table or but also given equal sense of belonging.

Also speaking during one of the panel sessions, Managing Consultant, BusinessMax Consulting, Alex Goma, stressed that every business person must learn to be persistent as this remain a key driver for success. Drawing from his experience, Goma stated that no business leader or person should see setbacks in sales as rejections, but rather as opportunities for self-evaluation and recalibration.

“If sale doesn’t happen, it means you haven’t sold the benefits in a way that meets the customer’s needs. Go back and refine your message. Don’t give up,” he said.

On her part, the Marketing Director, Moët Hennessy, Osato Evbuomwan, stated that mindset remains the cornerstone of both resilience and tenacity.

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“Your mindset is the story you tell yourself when something goes wrong.  It’s what determines how you show up the next day. If you tell yourself you’re a failure, you’ll show up as one. But if you believe it’s a lesson, you’ll keep growing,” she said.

The event featured three distinguished keynote speakers who dwelt on topics such as authentic storytelling, resilience and tenacity among others.

There were three panel sessions with a line-up of impressive speakers such as Global Strategy Consultant, Franklin Ezekhome, Founder/Creative Director of The Indigene, Abigail Tiwa Olanubi Host of The Word Café Podcast, The WordSmith, Amachree Isoboyei, Author/Founder Exquisite Magazine, Tewa Onasanya, among others.

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APC more divided than PDP – Damagum says as he welcomes defectors

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Damagum

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Umar Iliya Damagum, has said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is more divided than the PDP.

Damagum stated this while welcoming some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, who defected to the PDP in Nguru and Bade Local Government Areas of Yobe State.

According to him, the PDP is always a formidable opposition force, noting that the party knows how to address any internal issues if they arise.

“If there is a crisis, we know how to solve it. We are united, and our leadership is intact.

“We have one chairman and one secretariat, while the ruling party cannot even hold a NEC meeting for almost two years. You can’t compare the two,” he said.

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He pointed out that the ruling party has not been able to hold a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in nearly two years.

“I don’t know why the media continues to report crises within our party,” he added.

Damagum reiterated that the PDP remains a strong and united brand, adding, “We are the party to beat.”

He maintained that the party’s doors are open to those who left in the past, as it prepares to build a credible force for the 2027 elections.

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