Foreign News
ECOWAS Parliament: Nigeria, others Seek Support for Regional Security

Nigeria is pushing for the enhancing of regional security to guarantee peace and economic growth in West Africa.
Nigeria’s position is contained in its Country Report presented to the 2023 second Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.
It harps on the need for member countries to work together in addressing security challenges through various approaches to ensure stability.
Reports says that the report was presented by Lynda Ikeazu on behalf of the Nigerian delegation.
Ikeazu said Nigeria would want to see the harmonisation of the regional security agenda geared towards a mutual linked security goals.
“Given the transnational nature of the threats, non-military peace efforts would take priority over an overly militarised approach to security.
“A military approach has had the unintended effect of protracted armed conflicts across West Africa.
“Given Chad’s proximity to Sudan, ECOWAS under Nigeria’s leadership will take on an active role in finding a solution to the crisis in Sudan.
“Which emphasises President Bola Tinubu’s July meeting with leaders of Niger, Guinea-Bissau and Benin to discuss the security challenges in the region at the Nigerian nation’s capital.
“A key element of Tinubu’s likely ECOWAS agenda is the prioritising of security.
“Tinubu said in his speech that, without a peaceful environment, progress and development in the region will continue to remain elusive,’’ she said.
Reports says that Cape Verde, Senegal, Cote d’lvoire and the Gambia, also presented their countries reports with key attention on regional security.
Cape Verde expressed worries that the the country is located at a crossroad of routes normally used by transnational organised criminals.
“It has numerous shelters on all the islands, which has been exploited with some intensity in the relatively recent past by drug traffickers.
“However, the state has invested heavily in securing its borders.
“Also, by relying on international cooperation, it has been determined and firm in combating the phenomenon of drug trafficking, and has been successful in doing so.
“With regards to internal security and organised crime, the state has adopted a series of measures based on the principle of zero tolerance of crime,’’ it added.
For Senegal, the country said though it has enjoyed political stability, it is however located in a sub-regional environment charactrised by instability and security challenges.
“The ranking of the country on the World Bank’s political stability and absence of Violence/Terrorism Index improved from -0.28 in 2011 to -0.17 in 2021, on a scale of -2.5 to 2.5.
“However, in terms of security, there are still pockets of hostilities around the borders with Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Gambia in the Casamance region,” it stated.
The Gambian report, on the other hand, indicated that the country has experienced relative calmness and peace, which enabled it to record major successes within the security sector including the Security Sector Reform.
It stated that the reform was centered on conducting series of trainings for the security sector particularly the Gambia Police Force, Immigration, Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and Prison Service.
“All these efforts are geared towards guaranteeing the protection of human rights and non-recurrence of the violation of fundamental human rights by security forces.’’
In another report, the International Academy for Counter-Terrorism (AILCT) has trained security and judicial personnel across countries on the fight against terrorism and prevention of radicalisation.
“AILCT offers three types of training; a unit training camp, a management training school and a research institute.
“To date, almost 1,000 trainees have been trained at the academy, including soldiers, gendarmes, police officers and judges from 26 African countries.”
All the reports were adopted during the session presided by the Speaker, Mr Sidie Tunis. (NAN)
Foreign News
China Aims For Stable Vatican Relations Under Pope Leo XIV

China on Friday congratulated the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and expressed hope for a “steady” improvement in relations with the Vatican.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian stated this while speaking with reporters in the Chinese capital.
According to Lin, he hopes that under the new Pope’s leadership, the Vatican will continue dialogue with China in a constructive spirit, deepen communication on international issues of mutual concern.
He also expressed hope that they would continue to work together to steadily advance China-Vatican relations, while contributing to global peace, stability, development, and prosperity.
The Vatican on Tuesday announced that American Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected as the new Pope, taking the name Leo XIV.
He is the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church.
In 2024, Beijing had extended a provisional agreement with the Holy See by four years regarding the appointment of bishops.
The agreement which allows both sides to have a role in selecting bishops for China’s Catholic community, which numbers around 12 million in the world’s second most populous countr. (AA/NAN)
Foreign News
Pope Leo XIV To Be Inaugurated May 18

The Vatican on Friday announced that Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration will take place on May 18 with a mass in St. Peter’s Square, following his election to succeed Pope Francis.
The ceremony is to take place at 10a.m (0800 GMT) May 18 at the Vatican.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the first U.
S. pontiff on Thursday after white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel following four rounds of voting in the papal conclave.The new pope is set to keep Francis’ top employees in the Vatican in place for the time being, the Holy See said.
The first of his weekly general audiences is planned for May 21. (dpa/NAN)
Foreign News
Pope Leo XIV Election Excites Former Employers, Students

The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.
The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.
Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.
Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.
He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.
In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome
He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)(www.nanne
The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.
The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.
Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.
Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.
He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.
In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome
He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)