PM Philemon Yang on Tuesday June 25, 2013 saw off the eight leaders who acclaimed the event as historic. Eight of the 12 Heads of State who came to Cameroon to participate
at the just-ended Heads of State of the Economic Community of Central African States, ECCAS, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the Gulf of Guinea Commission summit on maritime safety and security have appreciated the initiative to start off dialogue on the burning issues plaguing the region.
After participating at the plenary and in camera sessions of the two-day summit (June 24-25, 2013) the Heads of State said both the initiative to organise the summit, the way it went on and the resolutions arrived at are determinant in the future of the region. Speaking to the press at the Nsimalen International Airport yesterday June 25 after the closing ceremony of the confab, some of the eight African leaders sounded optimistic that the resolutions arrived at and the commitment by all present at the summit demonstrated that the disturbing maritime insecurity does not only compromise development but man's wellbeing as well.
From the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and wife, Constancia Mangue de Obiang who opened the departures for the day at over midday through that of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, who rounded off at over 8 pm, the message was the same -The first-ever Heads of State and Government summit on the burning maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea was a resounding success. Like them, their counterparts of Benin, Thomas Boni Yayi, Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, transitional President of Guinea Bissau, Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo, Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, Nigeria's, Goodluck Jonathan and that of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, who both left in that order said maritime insecurity in the region is an affair of all and sundry and actions and means must be jointly put in place to eradicate the phenomenon.
All the Heads of State were received on arrival by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, who conveyed each of them to the VIP lounge for a brief chat and then accompanied to the foot of the plan from where each of them was presented and served a souvenir photo album of their participation in what they unanimously termed a historic summit.
