ECOWAS is a sub-regional economic organization established by sixteen West African states on the 28th of May 1975 with its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
The organization now has Abuja as its administrative headquarters and Lome as the Fund headquarters. Nigeria’s former military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) was the ECOWAS pioneer chairman.
The advent of ECOWAS started with the campaign carried out by General Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria and his Togolese counterpart, General Gnassingbe Eyadema.