Foreign Affairs Ministry to Establish ECOWAS Club at Kabba Varsity Following VC’s Visit to Minister Enikanolaiye
The Vice-Chancellor of Kogi State University, Kabba, Professor K.I.T. Eniola, fNSM, FRA, on Thursday, September 17, 2026, led a delegation of the University on a visit to the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, at his office in Abuja. During the visit, the Vice-Chancellor briefed the Minister on the progress being recorded by the University and expressed appreciation for his contributions and support. He particularly praised the Minister for believing in the University at its infancy by instituting the Ambassador Enikanolaiye Award for Academic Excellence shortly after its establishment. Professor Eniola attributed the strides recorded by the institution largely to the commitment and support of the Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo. He also acknowledged the visionary initiative of the immediate past Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for establishing the University in fulfilment of the long-standing aspiration of the Okun people for a university on their own soil.
Responding, the Honourable Minister commended the Vice-Chancellor for the progress being made at the University, noting that he follows developments at the institution and reads news about the University from time to time. Ambassador Enikanolaiye urged the University to sensitise its students and the larger society to the immense opportunities in trade and commerce available within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He explained that trade within the ECOWAS framework is duty-free, stressing the importance of making young Nigerians, particularly undergraduates, sufficiently aware of the opportunities created by regional integration.
The Minister further explained that one of the foreign policy interests of the present administration is to ensure that foreign policy delivers tangible benefits to the Nigerian people. According to him, the focus is shifting towards ensuring that the benefits of Nigeria’s foreign policy extend beyond government institutions to the grassroots. He stressed the need to take the knowledge of foreign policy to the grassroots and make ECOWAS better known to the younger generation, particularly university students. This, he said, makes initiatives such as “ECOWAS of the People” imperative.
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Ambassador Enikanolaiye pledged to partner with the University in establishing an ECOWAS Club on the campus. He disclosed that the ECOWAS Commission is supporting the initiative, with the required resources to be made available for the running of ECOWAS Clubs in tertiary institutions. The Minister expressed the expectation that the initiative would help create a new generation of young Nigerians who are better informed about Nigeria’s role abroad especially within the West African regional community and the opportunities arising from it.
He said such clubs would provide platforms for students to deepen their understanding of regional integration, foreign policy, trade, commerce and the opportunities available. The initiative is also expected to encourage students to engage more meaningfully with the regional dimensions of Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic relations.
A major highlight of the visit was the Minister’s commitment to the immediate establishment of an ECOWAS Club at Kogi State University, Kabba. The initiative, which takes immediate effect, is expected to provide students with greater exposure to foreign policy, ECOWAS affairs and the practical opportunities available within the regional economic community. Professor Eniola expressed appreciation to the Minister for the initiative and his continued interest in the University. Members of the Vice-Chancellor’s delegation included the Registrar, Dr. J.U. Amodu; the Bursar, Pastor Florence Gbodi Alabi, PhD; and the Head of Department of Public Administration, Dr. Lamidi Kehinde.
OSHALOTO J. Tade ANIPR, MACSPN, MANUPA
Public Relations Officer
DemocracyNewslineNewspaper, September 18, 2026
