News:
March 13, 2020
As the fifth Community Parliament starts its first Extra-Ordinary meeting in May 2020, and the composition of the various Committee to be approved by plenary on Thursday 12th March in Niger where it was inaugurated, Ghanamps.com has picked signals that suggest, Nigeria is prepared to remove lawmakers who would play truant in the fifth Legislature.
Mr. Mahama Ayariga, a Ghanaian representative on the Membership Selection Committee of the current Parliament has said the National Assembly and Senate of Nigeria have resolved that lawmakers who do not attend sittings three times without any good reasons would be removed.
Nigeria, though with the highest number of representatives; thirty-five lawmakers out of the one hundred and fifteen (115) membership in the life span of the fourth legislature of the Community Parliament have had a history of absenteeism.
Immediate past Speaker, Rt. Hon Mustapha Cisse Lo has had cause to complain of absenteeism of especially Nigeria and other Community lawmakers, while the leader of the Liberian delegation, Mr. Edwin Melvin Snowe Junior has also complained of attendance of Nigeria Community lawmakers.
In an interview as the Committee on Membership Selection was concluding composition of the membership of the various committee, he noted that Nigeria would not only want its members to participate but monitor them to ensure that they actively participate at the committee level and plenary.
“I believe the previous parliament was not exciting. I was there and you recall several times I did complain and you interview me, the former Speaker did not encourage or allow members to debate when they wanted to”.
He further pointed out that it became a big issue and believe that in the current ECOWAS Parliament there would be a lot of changes because the Anglophone Parliaments do not encourage the Speaker to even participate in debate where there is likely to be more constraint on the Speakers to afford members the opportunity to debate and address community issues.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Niger