In acknowledgment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s contributions to the defense and development of democracy as a form of governance throughout the subregion, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has finalized plans to present him with an award.

On the sidelines of the present 5th United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in Doha, Qatar, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the Chairman of ECOWAS and the President of Guinea-Bissau, informed the President of this on Tuesday.

President Embalo stated in a statement that the Nigerian President had done more than any other to support democratic governments in West Africa and had also done an exceptional job of fighting against the emergence of non-democratic regimes. The statement was made by presidential spokesperson Mallam Garba Shehu.

When the new ECOWAS headquarters building in Abuja is finished, the ECOWAS Chairman announced that President Buhari’s name will be added to the Roll of Honor so that future generations of West African citizens will be aware of the greatness he attained and be inspired to emulate his admirable examples.

In response, President Buhari praised the idea, emphasizing that democracy is the most effective means to unite disparate groups of people and a reliable tool for achieving national development.