{"id":23332,"date":"2025-06-25T15:41:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T14:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=23332"},"modified":"2025-06-25T15:41:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T14:41:27","slug":"bio-not-first-sierra-leonean-president-to-serve-as-ecowas-chairperson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/bio-not-first-sierra-leonean-president-to-serve-as-ecowas-chairperson\/","title":{"rendered":"Bio not first Sierra Leonean President to serve as ECOWAS Chairperson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claim: Sierra Leone\u2019s Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), in an X post<\/a> claimed that President Julius Maada Bio<\/a> is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS in the 50 years of its existence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: False! Siaka Stevens<\/a> was the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS from 1981 to 1982, and not President Bio, who was elected on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Economic Commission of West African States – (ECOWAS)<\/a>, was established on Wednesday, May 28, 1975<\/a> in Lagos, Abuja where 15 African nations<\/a> namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, signed the 1975 Lagos Treaty<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, three of the 15 member nations of ECOWAS, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, have withdrawn<\/a> from the community and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, ECOWAS’s activities have not halted. The community, during its 67th Ordinary Session of Heads of States, unanimously elected<\/a> Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as ECOWAS Chairperson. He succeeded Nigeria\u2019s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has stirred the bloc’s affairs in the last two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few hours after the news<\/a> of President Bio\u2019s election to the ECOWAS top seat broke out, congratulatory messages flooded the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), the Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Minister of the Republic of Sierra Leone, claimed in an X post archived here<\/a> that President Bio \u201cis the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chief Minister\u2019s post quickly attracted mixed reactions from some Sierra Leoneans who doubted his claim<\/a>, which he shared widely on his LinkedIn<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> handles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DUBAWA decided to verify the claim to set the records straight and accurately, and prevent the spread of misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our researcher first conducted an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) search using keywords on Google.com to double-check President Bio’s election as the new ECOWAS Chairperson and found the claim to be TRUE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Media to the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, confirmed<\/a> President Bio\u2019s election as the new ECOWAS Chairperson. Tinubu is the immediate-past ECOWAS Chairperson whose term ended on June 22, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An additional keyword search revealed reports about the issue from credible media outlets, including TVC News Nigeria<\/a>, Financial Afrik<\/a>, AP News<\/a>, and Daily Trust<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further checks reveal that Siaka Stevens, a former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, previously served as ECOWAS chairperson from 1981 to 1982. Stevens was the first Sierra Leonean president to serve the regional bloc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1975 till date, a total of 38 Heads of States from 14 ECOWAS countries have served as chairpersons of the West African bloc: Nigeria (10), Ghana(4), Senegal (4), Togo (4), Sierra Leone (2), Burkina Faso (2), Gambia (2), Benin (2), Niger (2), Guinea(2), Ivory Coast (1), Mali (1), Guinea Bissaue (1),  and Liberia (1). Below is the list of ECOWAS chairpersons since 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Yakubu Gowon \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 28 May 1975 \u2013 29 July 1975<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Gnassingb\u00e9 Eyad\u00e9ma \u2013 Togo \u2013 29 July 1975 \u2013 13 September 1977<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Olusegun Obasanjo \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 13 September 1977 \u2013 30 September 1979<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. L\u00e9opold S\u00e9dar Senghor \u2013 Senegal \u2013 30 September 1979 \u2013 31 December 1980<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Gnassingb\u00e9 Eyad\u00e9ma \u2013 Togo \u2013 1980\u20131981<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Siaka Stevens \u2013 Sierra Leone \u2013 1981\u20131982<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Mathieu K\u00e9r\u00e9kou \u2013 Benin \u2013 1982\u20131983<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Ahmed S\u00e9kou Tour\u00e9 \u2013 Guinea \u2013 1983\u20131984<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Lansana Cont\u00e9 \u2013 Guinea \u2013 1984\u20131985<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. \u00a0Muhammadu Buhari \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 1985 \u2013 27 August 1985<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Ibrahim Babangida \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 27 August 1985 \u2013 1989<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. Dawda Jawara \u2013 Gambia \u2013 1989\u20131990<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Blaise Compaor\u00e9 \u2013 Burkina Faso \u2013 1990\u20131991<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Dawda Jawara \u2013 Gambia \u2013 1991\u20131992<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. Abdou Diouf \u2013 Senegal \u2013 1992\u20131993<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. Nic\u00e9phore Soglo \u2013 Benin \u2013 1993\u20131994<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. Jerry Rawlings \u2013 Ghana \u2013 1994 \u2013 27 July 1996<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  18. Sani Abacha \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 27 July 1996 \u2013 8 June 1998<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  19. Abdulsalami Abubakar \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 9 June 1998 \u2013 1999<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  20. Gnassingb\u00e9 Eyad\u00e9ma \u2013 Togo \u2013 1999\u20131999<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  21. Alpha Oumar Konar\u00e9 \u2013 Mali \u2013 1999 \u2013 21 December 2001<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  22. Abdoulaye Wade \u2013 Senegal \u2013 21 December 2001 \u2013 31 January 2003<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  23. John Kufuor \u2013 Ghana \u2013 31 January 2003 \u2013 19 January 2005<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  24. Mamadou Tandja \u2013 Niger \u2013 19 January 2005 \u2013 19 January 2007<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  25. Blaise Compaor\u00e9 \u2013 Burkina Faso \u2013 19 January 2007 \u2013 19 December 2008<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  26. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 19 December 2008 \u2013 18 February 2010<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  27. Goodluck Jonathan \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 18 February 2010 \u2013 17 February 2012<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  28. Alassane Ouattara \u2013 Ivory Coast \u2013 17 February 2012 \u2013 17 February 2013<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  29. John Mahama \u2013 Ghana \u2013 17 February 2013 \u2013 19 May 2015<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  30. Macky Sall \u2013 Senegal \u2013 19 May 2015 \u2013 4 June 2016<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  31. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf \u2013 Liberia \u2013 4 June 2016 \u2013 4 June 2017<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  32. Faure Gnassingb\u00e9 \u2013 Togo \u2013 4 June 2017 \u2013 31 July 2018<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  33. Muhammadu Buhari \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 31 July 2018 \u2013 29 June 2019<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  34. Mahamadou Issoufou \u2013 Niger \u2013 29 June 2019 \u2013 2 June 2020<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  35. Nana Akufo-Addo \u2013 Ghana \u2013 2 June 2020 \u2013 3 July 2022<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  36. Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3 \u2013 Guinea-Bissau \u2013 3 July 2022 \u2013 9 July 2023<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  37. Bola Tinubu \u2013 Nigeria \u2013 9 July 2023 \u2013 22 June 2025<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  38. Julius Maada Bio \u2013 Sierra Leone \u2013 22 June 2025 \u2013 Present<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    List of ECOWAS Chairpersons Past and Present compiled by Alusine Rehme Wilson – DUBAWA 2025 Kwame KariKari Fact-Checking OSINT Fellow, sources :  (<\/em><\/strong>The Nation Online<\/em><\/strong><\/a> & <\/em>ECOWAS website <\/em><\/strong><\/a>) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    David Moinina Sengeh\u2019s claim that President Bio is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as the ECOWAS Chairperson in the regional bloc\u2019s 50 years of existence is FALSE. Siaka Stevens, a former President of Sierra Leone, had previously served as ECOWAS chairperson from 1981 to 1982.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Claim: Sierra Leone\u2019s Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), in an X post claimed that President Julius Maada Bio is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS in the 50 years of its existence. Verdict: False! Siaka Stevens was the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS from 1981 to 1982, and not President Bio, who was elected on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria. Full Text The Economic Commission of West African States – (ECOWAS), was established on Wednesday, May 28, 1975 in Lagos, Abuja where 15 African nations namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, signed the 1975 Lagos Treaty. Currently, three of the 15 member nations of ECOWAS, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, have withdrawn from the community and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).  However, ECOWAS’s activities have not halted. The community, during its 67th Ordinary Session of Heads of States, unanimously elected Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as ECOWAS Chairperson. He succeeded Nigeria\u2019s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has stirred the bloc’s affairs in the last two years. A few hours after the news of President Bio\u2019s election to the ECOWAS top seat broke out, congratulatory messages flooded the internet. David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), the Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Minister of the Republic of Sierra Leone, claimed in an X post archived here that President Bio \u201cis the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS.\u201d The Chief Minister\u2019s post quickly attracted mixed reactions from some Sierra Leoneans who doubted his claim, which he shared widely on his LinkedIn and Facebook handles.  DUBAWA decided to verify the claim to set the records straight and accurately, and prevent the spread of misinformation. Verification Our researcher first conducted an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) search using keywords on Google.com to double-check President Bio’s election as the new ECOWAS Chairperson and found the claim to be TRUE. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Media to the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, confirmed President Bio\u2019s election as the new ECOWAS Chairperson. Tinubu is the immediate-past ECOWAS Chairperson whose term ended on June 22, 2025. An additional keyword search revealed reports about the issue from credible media outlets, including TVC News Nigeria, Financial Afrik, AP News, and Daily Trust.  Further checks reveal that Siaka Stevens, a former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, previously served as ECOWAS chairperson from 1981 to 1982. Stevens was the first Sierra Leonean president to serve the regional bloc.  Since 1975 till date, a total of 38 Heads of States from 14 ECOWAS countries have served as chairpersons of the West African bloc: Nigeria (10), Ghana(4), Senegal (4), Togo (4), Sierra Leone (2), Burkina Faso (2), Gambia (2), Benin (2), Niger (2), Guinea(2), Ivory Coast (1), Mali (1), Guinea Bissaue (1),  and Liberia (1). Below is the list of ECOWAS chairpersons since 1975. List of ECOWAS Chairpersons Past and Present compiled by Alusine Rehme Wilson – DUBAWA 2025 Kwame KariKari Fact-Checking OSINT Fellow, sources :  (The Nation Online & ECOWAS website )  Conclusion  David Moinina Sengeh\u2019s claim that President Bio is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as the ECOWAS Chairperson in the regional bloc\u2019s 50 years of existence is FALSE. Siaka Stevens, a former President of Sierra Leone, had previously served as ECOWAS chairperson from 1981 to 1982.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3812,3815,16,1268],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4479],"class_list":["post-23332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage","category-politics","category-sierra-leone"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-64k","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4479,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"alusine-rehme-wilson","display_name":"Alusine Rehme Wilson","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ECOWAS-image.jpg?fit=1600%2C1096&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23334,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23332\/revisions\/23334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23332"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=23332"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=23332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}