The Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Professor Palokinam Pitche, has visited the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) in Abuja as part of efforts to strengthen health security and disease preparedness across West Africa.

The visit focused on improving strategic collaboration and coordination between WAHO leadership and the regional disease-control centre.

According to a statement disclosed on Thursday, the engagement provided an opportunity to assess the centre’s activities and discuss measures for strengthening regional preparedness and response to public health threats.

Pitche Reviews Disease Surveillance Activities

During the working session, Pitche reviewed the RCSDC’s recent activities and achievements, as well as some of the operational challenges confronting the centre.

The discussions also examined prospects for improving disease surveillance and response mechanisms across the ECOWAS region.

Particular attention was given to priorities requiring stronger coordination within WAHO structures to ensure more effective responses to emerging and ongoing public health challenges.

WAHO Seeks Stronger Regional Coordination

The WAHO chief reaffirmed his support for the RCSDC, stressing the importance of stronger collaboration among institutions under the organisation.

The engagement is expected to contribute to improved coordination of regional health initiatives and more effective collective responses to complex health emergencies.

The organisation said the visit reflects the new WAHO leadership’s commitment to strengthening internal cooperation and advancing coordinated health-security efforts across West Africa.

New WAHO Leadership Begins Regional Engagements

Pitche assumed office as WAHO Director-General on September 1, 2026, succeeding the previous administration.

The Togolese public health specialist brings more than 25 years of experience in public health, health services administration, programme management and health systems strengthening.

His professional background includes work with national governments and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation, UNAIDS, USAID, WAHO, UNDP and UNFPA.

Strengthening Health Security Across West Africa

WAHO is the specialised health institution of ECOWAS, with a mandate to support member states in improving health systems, expanding access to healthcare and protecting populations across the region.

The RCSDC, based in Abuja, plays an important role in regional disease surveillance and coordination of responses to public health emergencies.

The latest engagement between the WAHO leadership and the centre therefore comes as part of broader efforts to build stronger regional systems for detecting, preventing and responding to health threats.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of creating the political crisis rocking the state and attempting to blame him for its fallout.

Wike said AbdulRazaq pushed three senators and several members of the House of Representatives out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) political arrangement, only to accuse him of sponsoring them after some found accommodation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“He has been the one championing this campaign against me everywhere. I mean the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and I have confronted him about it,” Wike said.

“You removed three senators; you removed members of the House of Representatives. You must be a super governor to survive that.

“Strategically, if you try to remove all these people, you have a crisis in your hands, and you have to be very, very careful.”

The crisis took a dramatic turn with the defection of Kwara Central Senator Saliu Mustapha from the APC to the PDP, where he subsequently emerged as the party’s senatorial candidate.

Mustapha’s defection, alongside the exit of other prominent APC figures, has rattled the political establishment in Kwara and significantly altered calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike questioned what AbdulRazaq expected the displaced politicians to do after shutting them out of the APC, saying they could have joined the ADC or NDC, where their support for President Bola Tinubu could not be guaranteed.

“These senators you removed, you have no place for them. Therefore, did you prefer them to go to ADC or to go to NDC, which is opposing Mr President fervently?” he asked.

Wike said rather than appreciate that the politicians joined a PDP tendency still supporting Tinubu, AbdulRazaq had resorted to portraying him as the mastermind of opposition against his government.

“The Governor of Kwara State now takes this propaganda to their own level, saying that Wike is now sponsoring a candidate in Kwara because I am supporting Saraki,” he said.

Wike dismissed the allegation, insisting that his support for Tinubu did not mean the PDP would stop fielding candidates against the APC.

“Did I have any agreement that now that we are supporting Mr President, PDP will not have any candidate anywhere?” he asked.

Burkina Faso has proposed high-level bilateral talks with Nigeria to review existing areas of cooperation and identify new opportunities for partnership as both countries seek to strengthen their diplomatic relations.

The proposal was made on Friday in Ouagadougou, when Nigeria’s newly appointed Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Ambassador Syndoph Endoni, presented his Letter of Credence.

Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Marie Traoré, received the Nigerian envoy and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to deepening relations with Nigeria.

Burkina Faso Calls for Review of Cooperation

Traoré described Endoni’s assumption of duty as an opportunity to reinforce the longstanding relationship between the two countries.

He highlighted the shared history, African heritage and common regional challenges connecting Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

The Burkinabe foreign minister subsequently backed the convening of a bilateral session where both governments could comprehensively review existing cooperation and explore new areas of partnership.

The proposed talks could provide an avenue for Abuja and Ouagadougou to address outstanding differences through direct diplomatic engagement while exploring cooperation in areas such as security, trade, diplomacy and regional stability.

Nigeria Advocates Stronger African Solidarity

Responding to the proposal, Ambassador Endoni conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appreciation to Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, for accepting his accreditation.

The Nigerian envoy also thanked the Burkinabe government and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the reception accorded him since his arrival in Ouagadougou.

Endoni pledged to work with Burkinabe authorities to address issues of mutual concern and develop joint solutions to challenges affecting both countries.

He also called for stronger African solidarity and greater confidence among African countries in resolving their differences through dialogue.

“As Africans, we must learn to accept ourselves and make efforts to resist the urge to wash our dirty linens outside,” Endoni said.

Move Comes After Regional Diplomatic Tensions

The proposed engagement comes against the backdrop of recent diplomatic tensions involving Nigeria and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The three countries formally withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on January 29, 2025, and subsequently strengthened their cooperation through the AES framework.

Nigeria, meanwhile, remains a leading member of ECOWAS and has continued to support diplomatic engagement with the Sahel countries.

The two sides have previously experienced diplomatic friction, including an incident in December 2025 involving Nigerian Air Force personnel and an aircraft that landed in Burkina Faso after the crew reported a technical problem. The matter was eventually resolved through diplomatic engagement.

New Ambassador Begins Mission

Endoni’s arrival in Burkina Faso marks the beginning of his diplomatic assignment in Ouagadougou.

His posting is part of President Tinubu’s deployment of newly appointed Nigerian ambassadors to various foreign missions.

The ambassador is expected to formally present his credentials to President Ibrahim Traoré as he settles into his new assignment.

Focus Shifts to Renewed Cooperation

The proposed bilateral session could provide Nigeria and Burkina Faso with an opportunity to move beyond recent disagreements and establish a new framework for engagement.

For both countries, renewed cooperation could focus on shared security concerns, economic relations, regional stability and stronger people-to-people ties.

The proposal also signals a willingness by Ouagadougou to maintain direct diplomatic channels with Abuja despite wider changes in West Africa’s political and security landscape.