ECOWAS parliament: As Nigeria waits 60 years to produce speaker

Where will the current Nigerian political players and leaders be in 60 years from now? Not even the writer of this piece may likely to still be around then. Interestingly, that is when Nigeria, as a country, will have the opportunity of producing another Speaker, to head the Parliament of the Economic Community of West […]

Where will the current Nigerian political players and leaders be in 60 years from now? Not even the writer of this piece may likely to still be around then. Interestingly, that is when Nigeria, as a country, will have the opportunity of producing another Speaker, to head the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament. Senator Ike Ekweremadu has just completed his four-year tenure, as Speaker of the Community Parliament.
Ironically, following Senator Ekweremadu’s emergence as the Deputy President of the Senate, in June, last year, one of the strongest points being canvassed by those opposed to his emergence was that he was going to deny the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the opportunity of producing another Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. But if they had done their home work well, they probably would have known that the position would not be available to Nigeria again, at the expiration of the Third Legislature of the Community, which officially lapsed on Thursday, February 4, 2016.
Before Ekweremadu’s emergence as the Speaker of the Parliament, in 2011, there was a power rotation arrangement, based on alphabetical order of the names of member States. Therefore, the journey, which Ekweremadu started, on behalf of Nigeria, on August 11, 2011, came to an end February 4, 2016. And until about 2076, before any other Nigerian could start another of such journey, on behalf of the country.
Interestingly, Ekweremadu’s tenure, as Speaker, ended with the Community, marking its 40thyear of existence, just as the Fourth Legislature was inaugurated on the same occasion, with Hon. Moustapha Cisse Lo of the Republic of Senegal, emerging as the new Speaker, to lead the Fourth Legislature.
Delivering his valedictory speech, Ekweremadu described his tenure as Speaker, as one, which repositioned the Parliament. He described the adoption of the Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, as the greatest achievement of the Third Legislature of the Community Parliament, under his leadership.
According to him, the ECOWAS Parliament remains the only regional parliament in the world, without legislative powers, adding that it was normal for regional legislative bodies to exercise legislative powers and carry out oversight functions. He also reiterated that the enhancement of the powers of the Community Parliament was in tandem with the fundamental principles of democracy, international best practices, the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, and the New Article 13 of the Supplementary Protocol.
Ekweremadu said his regime brought it closer to the people, by delocalizing Committee meetings in and outside the various capitals of the Member States, a thing, that saw the Parliament converging, for the first time, in its history, on a venue-Accra, Ghana, in 2012, outside Abuja, the seat of the Parliament, adding that “it was also been replicated in various Member States such as Praia and Dakar, taking into cognizance the three lingual blocks of the Community.”
Other efforts at repositioning the Parliament, he said, included ensuring that the 115 seats of the Community Parliament was fully occupied for the first time, in the history of the Parliament, with the coming of Cote d’Ivoire and rejoining by Guinea; elaborate capacity building for members and staff of the Parliament; creation of visibility and awareness for the Parliament, and revival of the Conference of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments of West Africa.
In his goodwill message, President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, described the ECOWAS Parliament, as one that has done “creditably well, in fulfilling its mandate.” Particularly, he recalled that the Parliament blazed the trail in 2006, when it rendered popular opinions on certain issues that have direct bearing on the promotion of the standards of living of citizens of member States, adding that “this is especially noted on infrastructural development, migration, public and investment, to mention but a few.”
While reiterating the commitment of the National Assembly under his leadership to support and work with the ECOWAS Parliament, to realise its objective of evolving as a true Parliament, with legislative powers, Dr. Saraki, commended the Third Legislature of the Community, under the leadership of Ekweremadu, for driving the process of transforming the Parliament from “its current advisory and consultative status,” to one of “co-decision and lawmaking.”
On his part, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, urged the new Speaker of the Parliament to emulate his immediate predecessor, Ekweremadu, and follow in his footsteps, so as to help him (new Speaker) build on the gains recorded by Ekweremadu, especially as it concerns relationship between the Parliament and the Commission. According to him, the working relationship between the Commission and the Parliament, under Ekweremadu’s leadership, was such that it made the Commission’s tasks seamless.
Speaking shortly after his election as the new Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Senegal-born Moustapha Cisse Lo, who paid glowing tributes to his predecessor, Ekweremadu, for laying a good foundation, pledged his commitment to build on the legacies of his immediate past predecessor, just as he promised to preserve the goals and ideals of ECOWAS, adding that as he was taking over from Ekweremadu, he would complete the task started by him.
To his predecessor, Ekweremadu, the new Speaker, said: “we will continue with the work you started, and push it to the end. We are counting on you. We will always consult you; so that we can tap from your experiences, so as to enable us overcome the challenges of the Community and those of our various governments.”
Omipidan, Special Assistant (Media) to the Deputy President of the Senate, wrote in from Abuja.