Posted by President Muhammadu Buhari has requested that member States pay their debts since there are signs that the goals and purposes for which the Gulf of Guinea was founded in 2001 are in danger.
At a meeting of Gulf of Guinea Commission member states on Thursday, Buhari made the request (GGC).
He asserted that the Commission’s capacity to carry out its mandate has been significantly hampered by the majority of them continuing to withhold payment of their annual assessed contributions to the Secretariat.
Buhari called for immediate collective action against the dangers and threats affecting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea Region at a virtual meeting of the Heads of State and Government of Member States of the Commission, which was partly convened to review progress on efforts to deal with the maritime challenges in the region.
Buhari also stated at the summit that Nigeria views the GGC’s effective operation as crucial to the region’s overall security interests, particularly with regard to issues involving piracy, the spread of small arms and light weapons, the protection of marine resources, and irregular migration into the area.
The 4th Ordinary Summit of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), held from November 21–23, 2017, in Abuja, was hosted by the Nigerian government as a sign of its unwavering commitment to the GGC’s repositioning as a more vibrant organization that will effectively carry out its mandate, he told the audience.
In an effort to revive the Commission’s work, Nigeria also hosted the 11th Ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Gulf of Guinea in Abuja from November 19 to 20 of this year.
Buhari also took advantage of the opportunity to thank Ambassador Florentina Ukonga, the GGC’s Executive Secretary, and her team for their dedication and hard work in organizing both the Summit and the GGC as a whole.
The President expressed his confidence that the virtual summit would produce beneficial outcomes that would advance the organization while also praising the outstanding job carried out by the departing Executive Committee, which was led by Ambassador Ukonga.
At the conclusion of the Summit, President Nana Akuffo-Ado of Ghana was elected as the new leader of the GGC.