News:
October 18, 2021
Lawmakers representing Nigeria at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have commended the sustained democratic rule in Nigeria which should be an example to other countries in the sub-region.
The lawmakers made this known on Sunday in an interview with journalists following the High-level Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Winneba, Ghana.
The lawmakers called for more powers to be vested in ECOWAS institutions, parliament, commission and court to take firm actions on situations in member states.
Mr. Awaji-Inombek Abiante representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, Rivers said that Nigeria’s democracy has recorded huge successes, a model ECOWAS could use as a guide to other countries in the sub-region.
“In Nigeria for the past twenty years, we have been able to sustain civilian rule, democracy and I think that is what we should celebrate first. Hoping that all hands will be on deck to turn the tides and ensure that the very pedestal demands and challenges are overcome”.
ECOWAS as a body of State can help to encourage each other by doing what we are doing exactly; peer review essentially, to copy the best practices from other persons, improve upon what we are doing.
There is a saying that no matter how bad democracy is, it is still better than other forms of governments, and that more powers should be given to ECOWAS as it does not have that strength in terms of the legal instruments to take firm actions.
At best we have today, it still remains persuasive, even if we make the laws, how many countries are willing to surrender their sovereignty into this and say come in and do whatever you want to, he stated.
“As at today, the status does not give those guarantee that anybody can say ECOWAS will come in. All ECOWAS could do was to advise, work with the regime and demand expectations within timelines. And if, they do not comply, the best you can do is suspend them from the body and that does not solve the problem”.
Ghanamps.com