ECOWAS Leaders Appoints Buhari As Champion Of COVID-19 Response

The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have appointed President Muhammadu Buhari as the champion of their COVID-19 response.

The presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina announced the appointment on Twitter, where he disclosed that the sub-regional heads held a virtual summit on Thursday.

Adesina said the ECOWAS leaders held the summit to discuss ongoing efforts at combating COVID-19 by member states.

“The Heads of State will be discussing the Situation and Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic in the ECOWAS Region. Preceding this Extraordinary Summit, the Ministers in Charge of Finance and the Governors of Central Banks from the Region held a virtual Extraordinary Session on April 21, 2020 on the COVID-19 situation,” he said.

ECOWAS leaders at an extraordinary summit held by video conference have appointed President Muhammadu Buhari as Champion that will coordinate the COVID-19 response in the sub-region. All the other Presidents will be available to support President Buhari.

— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) April 23, 2020

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) has on Tuesday announced that the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region are 5,774. But 1,616 patients have recovered from the disease, with 147 deaths recorded in the region.

Meanwhile, Nigeria currently has a total of 981 confirmed cases of coronavirus spread across 26 states, 197 discharged patients and 31 deaths.