West Africa big integration project don reach 50 years, but e dey face wahala wey fit scatter di whole arrangement.

Na May 28, 1975, di Lagos Treaty bring ECOWAS come life, wit di hope say e go unite, make West Africa dey prosperous and join body well well.

Since dat time, ECOWAS don face di normal wahala wey dey follow any group wey wan join different countries wit different interest together.

But wetin happen for January 2024 na di kain gbege wey ECOWAS never see before. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger comot for di group, and e no be small matter. Di tin show say di promises wey dem make since no dey work, and di people no dey feel di impact of di organisation.

Di original plan na to join di 15 countries for West Africa, make dem forget di boundary wey colonial masters draw, and make dem work together for beta economy.

Now, as di leaders gather for Abuja to celebrate di 50 years, na time to check wetin dem don achieve and wetin still remain.

President Bola Tinubu, wey be di current ECOWAS chairman, talk say di group don try well well, even wit di challenges.

“Today, we dey celebrate not just di 50 years, but di spirit of unity and resilience wey dey define our community. Di vision of our founding fathers still dey alive,” Tinubu tok for di event wey happen for Lagos.

E also talk say ECOWAS don help unite Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone countries under one vision, and e dey important for Africa.

But analysts dey talk say di group still get plenty wahala wey fit scatter di foundation, especially di recent crisis wey dey shake di organisation.

Di idea of ECOWAS start because di countries for West Africa wan forget di colonial division and join hand to build strong economy.

Di Lagos Treaty wey 15 countries sign na to create free movement of people and goods, and to join body politically across di different cultures and languages wey colonial masters divide.

But from di beginning, tension don dey, and e don show say di challenges no go finish quick quick.

Mauritania, wey be di only Arabic-speaking country for di group, comot for 2000 because dem talk say di cultural and language difference too much.

Now wey Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger don comot, e don weak di unity of di group and raise question about di future of di integration project.

Even wit di wahala, ECOWAS don achieve some beta tins. Di 1979 Protocol on Free Movement of Persons don make travel easy for di region, and di ECOWAS biometric ID card na big innovation for Africa.

Di Abidjan-Lagos Corridor project wey dem dey work on go help connect markets and improve trade for di region.

But di wahala of inequality, political tension, and corruption still dey make di integration hard. People still dey complain say di promises of ECOWAS never reach dem hand.

Di matter of single currency wey dem dey plan since never still work because di economies of di countries no dey balance.

Experts dey talk say di Eco currency fit help reduce cost of trade and make di region economy strong, but di challenges too much.

Di comot of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger don shake ECOWAS well well. Di countries talk say di group no dey represent di people again and say foreign influence dey too much.

Dis kain move fit make di region weak for di fight against terrorism and security wahala, and e fit give foreign powers chance to divide di region more.

As ECOWAS dey mark 50 years, di future of di group dey depend on how dem go fit solve di wahala wey dey ground and make sure say di people dey benefit from di integration.