Abuja – Senate President Bukola Saraki has appealed
to member states to give the ECOWAS Parliament greater authorisation
to legislate on common issues to facilitate sub-regional development.
Saraki made the appeal at the 2016 First Ordinary Session of the
parliament in Abuja on Monday.
“Other regional bodies including those who we inspired have moved
faster towards integration than we have.
“Sadly, this has been due to our inability to add to the
institutional building blocks and muster the courage to reorder our
structures for the vision of a virile and integrated ECOWAS.
“The ECOWAS Parliament remains a critical place to start.
“We must as a necessity give the parliament great authorisation and
capacity to duly legislate on common areas and provide oversight on
certain issues of common interest and interdependency.
“For as long as we are unable to or fail to remit to this parliament
more powers, the dreams of greater integration will continue to remain
a myth.
“This singular reason may be responsible for the lack of adequate
cohesion in the fight against terrorism, cross border crimes and the
implementation of agreed trade agreements and protocols.”
He said that the parliament had come of age to legislate and provide
oversight on issues that would promote integration and enhance intra
African relations.
The Senate President emphasised that more progress was needed in the
areas of enforcement of ECOWAS regional trade agreements with enhanced
legislative powers of the parliament.
He also commended past efforts made by the parliament in its current
capacity as an advisory body adding that citizens needed to understand
the ECOWAS mandate beyond free movement.
“As we speak, the average citizen of ECOWAS is yet to feel
meaningfully, the impact of the ECOWAS union beyond free movement of
persons and goods.
“This is another reason I believe the enhancement of the ECOWAS
Parliament remit merits deliberations.”
Saraki also said that there was need for the sub-regional bloc to
review protocols and treaties in order to “create a more virile union
that can deal with the challenges of the 21st century”.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Moustapha Cissé Lo, said that
parliament would revise the Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of
the Powers of the Parliament.
Cissé Lo, who spoke through an interpreter, said the idea was to
enable the parliament make necessary adjustments to the document to be
presented to the Authority of Heads of State.
He also said that the ongoing session would deliberate on the various
committee reports and examine ongoing programmes of the parliament.
“We are going to listen to the statement by the president of the
ECOWAS Commission which will be on the state of the community.
“The other days will focus on country reports that will contain the
political, economic and security situation in the member states.
“The committees of the parliament will meet as joint committees to
examine the programmes and decisions of the parliament.
“There is going to be a special day to examine the content of the
rules of procedure.
“Our legal adviser will be in the position to explain to everybody so
they know the contents of the rules of procedure.
“The audit and finance committee will also examine a document on the
2015 budget.” (NAN)
