President Bola Tinubu on Friday evening hosted Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
While details of their closed-door meeting were not made public, sources suggest that the discussion focused on regional peace, security, and economic integration within the West African subregion.
President Bio, who succeeded Tinubu as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in June, stated on his official X page that he was in Nigeria to deliver a speech at Baze University’s 12th convocation and to meet African business leaders.
“I had a productive meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Bio wrote. “As ECOWAS chairperson, we discussed regional security and the critical role of ECOWAS in promoting peace and economic development across West Africa.”
The two leaders are expected to deepen cooperation in democracy promotion, counter-terrorism, and sustainable development among ECOWAS member countries.
Bio’s visit comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged persecution of Christians, warning that if urgent action is not taken to address the killings, the U.S. military could intervene to combat Islamist insurgents in the country.
