Ministry Speaks On The Unfortunate Incident At The Construction Site Of The New Ecowas Headquarters

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja

__________________________________

PRESS RELEASE

No: MFA/PR/2023/14

AN UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE NEW ECOWAS HEADQUARTERS, ALONG AIRPORT ROAD, ABUJA ON 21ST JUNE, 2023

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received with grave concern, report of the violent protest that occurred at the construction site of the new ECOWAS Headquarters along the Airport Road in Abuja, today, Wednesday, 21st June, 2023. The incident, which involved workers agitation at the site, disrupted ongoing construction work and left an expatriate injured.

The Ministry wishes to inform the general public that it had since the 13th of June, 2023 been actively engaged in negotiations with relevant stakeholders, including the ECOWAS Commission, the National Union of Construction Workers and the NLC with a view to addressing the complaints and other Union matters tabled by the workers. The negotiations had progressed and shown positive signs towards the amicable resolution of the complaints.

Therefore, the recent intrusion by touts into the construction site, which is a diplomatic vicinity, constitutes a blatant violation of established regulations and is highly condemnable.

In response to this regrettable development, the Ministry and the ECOWAS Commission contacted relevant security agencies, who deployed more personnel to the site to contain and bring the situation under control, while ensuring the safety of all the parties concerned.

In this regard, the Ministry calls for restraint and urges all the parties to refrain from taking laws into their hands, while the relevant stakeholders continue to work to resolve the issues at hand, through constructive dialogue and adherence to legal procedures. Any breach on the construction site by unscrupulous agents or individuals will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

On this note, the Federal Government wishes to reiterate its commitment to the successful completion of the new ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja.

Signed

Francisca K. Omayuli (Mrs)

Spokesperson

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Wednesday, 21st June, 2023