My election as ECOWAS chair unexpected — Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his election to chair the body of the 16 West African heads of government was unexpected and unanimous, stating that it was a call to service that requires more hard work.

He said this on Wednesday in Abuja when he received leaders of the Senate led by its president, Godswill Akpabio, who were at the State House to congratulate him on his emergence as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

Tinubu said for Nigeria and the rest of Africa to make genuine progress and development, democracy must be nurtured and sustained.

“Democracy must survive. We need it to make progress. We have to send the right signal to the rest of the world particularly outside Africa that we mean business,” he said in a statement issued Thursday by his spokesman, Dele Alake.

Shettima, Tinubu’s wife mark Great Green Wall Day

Friday prayer: MURIC protests Lagos govt exam timetable

Tinubu promised not to let Nigerians down in the discharge of his responsibilities in spite of the current challenges.

Earlier, Senator Akpabio said the election of Tinubu during his first outing with the regional body was a testament to the high esteem in which his colleagues hold him.

He said the Senate and the entire National Assembly would continue to support the President to deliver on his mandate and accomplish his vision for a more prosperous Nigeria.