By Uche Amunike
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has appointed former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan as Chairman of the International Summit Council for Peace, ISCP-Africa.
As a special envoy, he is to head the sub-regional body’s mediation mission in Mali.
He is also to facilitate dialogue with all principal stakeholders in the Mali, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, opposition leaders, Civil Society, as well as religious organizations, towards resolving the worsening socio-political situation in the West African country.
Speaking ahead of his proposed departure from Bamako, Wednesday, the former president promised to do his best to ensure that the mission achieves the desired results.
His appointment was announced by the head of the West African Economic Bloc, ECOWAS, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou.
A letter quoted from Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said: ‘Given your position as the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the great role and contributions your tenure offered to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in our region, I have the honour, in consultation with the Chair of the Authority, H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, President of the Republic of Niger, to communicate to you, the decision to appoint you as ECOWAS Special Envoy for the sociopolitical crisis in Mali.’
According to his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, Mr Jonathan also thanked President Muhammadu buhari for the support of the Nigerian government which included providing an aircraft as well as other logistics needed to make the assignment successful.
The new envoy who has been so well-versed in the peacemaking mission terrain by leading such to many crisis-prone nations in the past, is expected to use his vast goodwill within the continent to fast-track the process of restoring peace in the problematic nation.
The West African nation has been travailed by protests caused by the outcome of parliamentary elections in March and April, percieved discontent over the government’s handling of Mali’s Jihadist insurgency and worsening the economic situation.
ISCP-Africa is an association of incumbent and former heads of states and their deputies. It was established in 2019 by the Universal Peace Federation, UPF, an organization in general consultative status with the United Nations.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, already congratulated the former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan on his new appointment.
They stated that the appointment is in recognition of his leadership qualities as a Democrat, as well as his resounding success in peacekeeping efforts across the world.
The PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, through his statement said that the PDP is assured that former president Jonathan will deploy his wealth of experience, strengthened by the democratic tenets and principles of our great party in his new mandate of providing direction for the essentials of Peace security and development in Africa.
President Jonathan was also appointed as the new Chancellor of Cavendish University, Uganda.
The position was previously held by the late President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia as well as late President Benjamin Mkapa of the Republic of Tanzania because of his commitment to education and human capital development.
The PDP while congratulating him, urged him to use the positions to further the advancement of peace and development in Africa and the world at large.
