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Tag: ECOWAS

  • ECOWAS Chairman condemns failed Coup attempt in Ethiopia

    The Chairman of Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS), President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, on Thursday condemned the coup attempt in Ethiopia.

    The Chairman, in a statement in Abuja, expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the coup attempt as well as the people and government of Ethiopia.

    Buhari said the commission was committed to the ideals of the African Union on Democracy, Elections and Good Governance adopted at the 8th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2007.

    He said: “In my capacity as the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government and on behalf of our Regional Organisation, we strongly condemn the coup attempt in the Amhara Region and the tragic events in the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on Saturday 22 June, 2019.

    “We express our deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the coup attempt and to the people and Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

    “We reaffirm the imperative for the adherence to relevant African Union Instruments, principally the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Lomé Declaration on the Unconstitutional Change of Government.’’

    Buhari, therefore, called on parties involved to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that could undermine the peace, unity and stability of Ethiopia.

    “At this trying period, we also convey our full solidarity to the people and Government of Ethiopia.

    “We finally reiterate our respect for the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Ethiopia,’’ he said.

  • Insecurity: Olonisakin heads ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff

    Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff, on Wednesday appointed Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin as the new chairman of the committee.

    The handing over and acceptance ceremony was held at the 39th Ordinary Meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) at the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.

    Mrs Nuratu Batagarawa, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Defence, welcomed the guests on behalf of the Federal Government, saying that it was a great honour to host the Chiefs of Defence Staff.

    She said that the meeting was significant because it would review the security challenges in the region and also proffer solutions.

    She, however, congratulated the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin on his appointment, noting that the country has confidence in his leadership.

    “The attendance at the meeting signify the importance attached to the collective regional security issues, this meeting is meant to review our collective security challenges and proffer solutions on strategies toward addressing them.

    “Let me use this opportunity to congratulate Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin on his appointment as the chairman of CCDS, we are confident in your leadership and we wish you success in the task ahead.’’

    Earlier, Olonisakin, in his acceptance speech, said that it was a great privilege for Nigeria to assume the leadership and the chairmanship.

    “It is indeed a great honour and privilege for Nigeria to assume the chairmanship of the ECOWAS CCDS.

    “It is a personal honour for me as the Chief of Defence staff Nigeria to serve in this capacity.

    “I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to Chair this great committee for the next few months. “

    He said that he was aware of the numerous security challenges the region was facing, calling for the support of the committee members to tackle those challenges.

    “I am also aware of the numerous challenges facing our region in the areas of security and development and I am glad I have this quality of colleagues seated here to tackle these challenges with me.

    “Over the years the ECOWAS CCDS have collectively engineered ideas to charge a better course for collective security in the region.

    “I am confident that with our commitment, support and leadership of our political leaders we will achieve our ultimate goal of a better secured ECOWAS region, “ he stated.

    Also, General Francis Behanzin, The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS Commission, congratulated the newly appointed chairman.

    He said that the ECOWAS President wished to be in attendance but he had to go to Guinea Bissau to ensure peace in the region.

    Behanzin said that some of the members state were faced with political tensions, which could generate to conflicts.

    He said that in view of the security threat in the region, there was a need for collective collaboration to tackle them and ensure peace.

  • ECOWAS to establish migration academy‎ in Nigeria

    The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, on Saturday said ECOWAS would set up an Migration Academy in Tugga, Kebbi State, to train immigration officers in the sub-region

    Babandede disclosed this in Kano on Saturday at the Passing out Parade of 396 cadets of the 44th Superintendent Basic Course in Kano.‎

    He said thed to establish the institution was taken at a meeting of ECOWAS Heads of Immigration held in Abuja in 2017.‎

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    He said the academy, when established, would help in training officers ‎and border security personnel within the sub-region.

    Babandede said the institution would also strengthen collaboration between immigration officers and border security personnel within the sub-region.

    He also said that the academy ‎would help officers to learn French to enhance regional corporation and strengthen the capacity of the personnel.
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    ‎He said that NIS gathered 30 professors at the Command and Staff College, Sokoto, to develop new and responsive training curricula for the training institutions.

    The comptroller said the service would intensify efforts at the ongoing reforms on operational activities and staff welfare.‎

    He urged them to be hardworking, dedicated, disciplined and be good ambassadors of the service.

    In her remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Georgina Ehuriah, said the event represented a sincere demonstration of government commitment to strengthen national security architecture and gainful employment.

    “As you pass out from this institution ‎today, I enjoin you to remain guided by the training you have received as well as by the agencies rules of engagement in your conduct,” she said.

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    The Comptroller-General, Ghana Immigration, Mr. Kwame Takyi, ssid Ghana would continue to support the academy, adding that it was ready to partner other ECOWAS heads to make the dream a reality.

    The commandant of the training school, ‎Mr Richard Adegoke, thanked the Babandede for providing an enabling environment for the cadets.

    He urged the graduates to uphold and apply the requisite knowledge and good values they had imbibed during their training as good ambassadors of the school.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those who attended the event include, senators, representative of the Emir of Kano and heads of all security agencies in the state.

  • ECOWAS Court upholds sack of three Supreme Court justices

    The Community Court of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) has upheld the sack of three Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana.

    The Justices – Paul Uuter Dery, Mustapha Habib Logoh and Gilbert Ayisi Addo – were among over 30 judges secretly filmed while allegedly accepting bribes in an undercover investigation carried in 2015 by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas,

    In a judgment on Monday, a three-man panel of the ECOWAS Court dismissed the suit, marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/42/16 filed by the Justices and held that it was unmeritorious.

    In the judgment read by Justice Dupe Atoki, the court held that the applicants failed to prove that their rights were violated in process leading to the disciplinary actions taken against them by Ghana Judicial Council.

    It held that although the secret filing of the Justices in their offices, done without their consent, amounted to interference with their right to privacy, the interference was justifiable as it was meant to expose unlawful conduct by public officers.

    The court upheld the argument by the state of Ghana, to the effect that the secret filming of the Justices was supported by Article 1(1)(b) of the Whistle Blower Act of Ghana and Section 61 of the Data Protection Act of Ghana.

    It found that the applicants’ right to privacy was interfered with by the secret filming of their activities by Anas, but went further to hold that the interference, being premised on national legislation, is in compliance with the law.

    The court noted that as Justices, who did not deny knowledge or ignorance of the law, they ought to know that their conduct would be subjected to scrutiny as public officers.

    It further agreed with the state of Ghana that, in engaging in the alleged act of accepting bribe, the applicants ought to know that they would be opened to secret investigation.

    The court held that the interference with the applicants’ right to privacy, aimed at exposing of the commission of a crime, was justified and necessary in a democratic society.

    It said the applicants, by their position as judge’s, are public officers, who receive public funds are, in that capacity, accountable to the public and could be subjected to investigation, where there is reasonable suspicion of their involvement in the commission of a crime.

    “The secret recording of the applicants is necessary in a democratic society. The claim to violation of the right to privacy fails,” the court said.

    The court also held that the applicants failed to prove their claim that the respondent violated their rights to fair hearing, non-discrimination/equality before the law and right to work.

    The court noted that, while two of the applicants failed to respond to the query handed them by the Chief Justice, they challenged their suspension and investigation up to the Supreme Court and lost in all the six cases they filed.

    It said, having rightly exercised their right to access the court up to the highest court in Ghana, the applicants cannot claimed to have been denied fair hearing.

    The Justices were suspended in 2016 by the Ghana Judicial Council while a committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo investigated a petition written against them by Anas and his company, Tiger Eye PI Limited.

    While on suspension, they were placed on half salaries, and at the conclusion of its investigation, the committee recommended their removal, which the Ghanaian President approved in December 2018.

    In the suit they filed at the ECOWAS Court in 2016, through their lawyer, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, the applicants alleged the violation of their fundamental human rights by the government of Ghana following the suspension of some of their allowances and the payment of half of their salary, because of an ongoing disciplinary procedure against them initiated by the country’s Judicial Council.

    The applicants stated that the state of Ghana violated their rights to fair hearing and administrative justice, equality before the law and freedom from discrimination, privacy and work, including the action of the council, in paying them half of their monthly salaries, the suspension of their allowances and the constitution of a panel to investigate them.

    They argued that these actions constituted an attempt by the state of Ghana to unlawfully and unfairly deprive them of their employment and right to work.

     

  • EU celebrates Euro’s 20th birthday: Heads up for ECOWAS single currency

    EU celebrates Euro’s 20th birthday: Heads up for ECOWAS single currency

    Exactly 20 years ago, on 1 January 1999, 11 European Union (EU) countries launched a common currency, the euro, and introduced a shared monetary policy under the European Central Bank.

    TheNewsGuru reports the euro, Europe’s common currency, turns 20 on 1 January 2019.

    The historic moment was a milestone on a journey driven by the ambition of ensuring stability and prosperity in Europe.

    Today, still young, the euro is already the currency of 340 million Europeans in 19 Member States.

    “It has brought tangible benefits to European households, businesses and governments alike: stable prices, lower transaction costs, protected savings, more transparent and competitive markets, and increased trade.

    “Some 60 countries around the world link their currencies to the euro in one way or another, and we can and are doing more to let the euro play its full role on the international scene. Other EU Member States are expected to join the euro area once the criteria are met,” an EU Council statement read.

    To mark the 20th anniversary of the euro, the five Presidents of the EU institutions and bodies most directly responsible for the euro, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Central Bank and the Eurogroup, commented on the 20 years of the single currency and on its future.

    “The creation of the euro 20 years ago — alongside the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany— was a pivotal moment in European history.

    “Our common currency has since matured into a powerful expression of the European Union as a political and economic force in the world. Despite crises, the euro has shown itself resilient, and the eight members which joined the original 11 have enjoyed its benefits.

    “As the world keeps changing, we will keep upgrading and strengthening our Economic and Monetary Union,” said Donald Tusk, President of the European Council.

    Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said: “As one of the only signatories of the Maastricht Treaty still politically active today, I remember the hard-fought and momentous negotiations on the launch of the Economic and Monetary Union.

    “More than anything, I recall a deep conviction that we were opening a new chapter in our joint history. A chapter that would shape Europe’s role in the world and the future of all its people. 20 years on, I am convinced that this was the most important signature I ever made.

    “The euro has become a symbol of unity, sovereignty and stability. It has delivered prosperity and protection to our citizens and we must ensure that it continues to do so. This is why we are working hard to complete our Economic and Monetary Union and boost the euro’s international role further”.

    Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament, said: “The euro is more popular today than ever: three out of four citizens believe it is good for our economy. In order for Europeans to benefit fully from the jobs, growth and solidarity that the single currency should bring, we must complete our Economic and Monetary union through genuine financial, fiscal and political Union. This will also allow Europe to better shield its citizens from potential future crises”.

    Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, said: “The euro was a logical and necessary consequence of the single market. It makes it easier to travel, trade and transact within the euro area and beyond.

    “After 20 years, there is now a generation who knows no other domestic currency. During that time, the ECB has delivered on its main task of maintaining price stability. But we also contribute to the well-being of euro area citizens by developing safe, innovative banknotes, promoting secure payment systems, supervising banks to ensure they are resilient and overseeing financial stability in the euro area”.

    Mário Centeno, President of the Eurogroup, said: “The single currency has been one of the biggest European success stories: there can be no doubt about its importance and impact over the first two decades of its history.

    “But its future is still being written, and that puts a historic responsibility on us. The euro and the close economic cooperation that it entails has evolved over time, overcoming challenges in its way.

    “It has come a long way since the start, and it has seen important changes in the wake of the crisis to help us leave the hardship behind. But this work is not yet finished, it requires continuous reform efforts in good times as in bad times.

    “There can be no doubts of our political will to strengthen the Economic and Monetary Union. We need to be prepared for what the future may hold – we owe that to our citizens”.

    However, as the EU marks the euro’s 20th anniversary, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yet battles with a single currency for the region.

    Giving update on ECOWAS single currency recently, Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama says achieving the ECOWAS Single Currency by 2020 will be a challenge.

    Onyeama said this while responding to questions from newsmen at the end of the 54th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS of Heads of State and Government in Abuja on Saturday.

    The chairman, who is Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, said that there were certain criteria that needed to be fulfilled for a region to achieve single currency, and which were not yet fully addressed.

    “There is a roadmap, the convergence criteria that have to be satisfied before we can really get to the stage of a single currency.

    “In ECOWAS, we have a group of countries that in essence almost have a single currency mechanism in place and we have other countries that have their own currencies and being able to align all these is going to take some time.

    “It will be a challenge to achieve the single currency by 2020 but all the efforts are being made,” he said.

    Onyeama said however that the central bank governors, finance ministers and experts in the region were working towards ensuring that the set timeline was achieved.

    “The political will is there and it is really a question to see whether the economic and fiscal realities will converge with the political aspirations,” he said.

    Also speaking, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Jean-Claude Brou said the region had made very good progress in its efforts to ensure free movement of people among member states.

    Brou said that part of the efforts was to have biometric identity card for all citizens in the region to promote security and facilitate the achievement of the single currency.

    His words, “Three countries in ECOWAS are already using the ECOWAS Biometric Identity card, so we are urging other countries to do it.

    “It has security features and that will also increase security in the region and at the same time, not prevent free movement of goods and persons which is a very important step of the single market.”

    The launch of the euro marked the culmination of a long journey that had begun long before.

    The global monetary turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s had exposed individual European countries and called for European solutions.

    Moreover, with the establishment of a single market, it would be easier to work and trade if Europeans would start to use a single currency.

    After decades of early discussions on how an Economic and Monetary Union could be achieved, in 1988 the Delors Committee was set up.

    Under the chairmanship of then Commission President Jacques Delors, it examined specific, gradual steps towards such a single currency.

    The agreement that political leaders subsequently signed in 1992 in Maastricht brought the single currency to life, building on the report of the Delors Committee and the ensuing negotiations.

    As such, the signing of the Maastricht Treaty became a symbolic moment in the move towards the euro.

    In 1994, the European Monetary Institute (EMI) started its preparatory work in Frankfurt for the European Central Bank (ECB) to assume its responsibility for monetary policy in the euro area. As a result, on 1 June 1998, the ECB became operational.

    On 1 January 1999, the euro was launched, becoming the official currency of 11 Member States, with monetary policy responsibilities given to the European Central Bank and the Eurosystem.

    After three years of appearing on people’s bank statements alongside national currencies, euro banknotes and coins arrived in 12 countries, which thereby participated in the largest currency changeover in history.

    The original members were Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. Greece joined in 2001. Since then, a further seven Member States have introduced the euro (Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia).

    The second most used currency in the world, the euro has come a long way from the first discussions in the late 1960s to being the currency of 340 million Europeans and used by a further 175 million worldwide.

    It is the second most important international currency, with around 60 countries in the world using it or linking their own currency to the euro. It is a safe store of value for international central banks, used for issuing debt worldwide and widely accepted for international payments.

    Ten years after the financial crisis shook the world, the architecture of Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union has been significantly reinforced but more work remains to be done.

    Building on the vision set out in the Five Presidents’ Report of June 2015 and the Reflection Papers on the Deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union and the Future of EU Finances of spring 2017, the European Commission set out a roadmap for deepening the Economic and Monetary Union.

    In December, EU Leaders also agreed to work towards strengthening the international role of the euro as part of this journey.

    A single currency for the benefit of all Europeans

    Public support for the euro has been consistently high in the EU, especially in the countries already using the euro.

    A majority of 74% of respondents across the euro area said that they thought the euro was good for the EU; this is the same as the record high score set last year and confirms that popular support for the euro is at its highest since surveys began in 2002.

    A majority of 64% of respondents across the euro area also said that they thought the euro was good for their own country.

    36% of Europeans identify the euro as one of the main symbols of the European Union, the second highest behind ‘freedom’ as a symbol. It has brought visible and very practical benefits to European households, businesses and governments alike: stable prices, lower transaction costs, more transparent and competitive markets, and increased trade. It makes travelling and living abroad easier, and savings protected.

     

  • ECOWAS leaders hold 54th ordinary session in Abuja

    ECOWAS leaders hold 54th ordinary session in Abuja

    Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were on Saturday hosted by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja for its 54th ordinary session.

    Buhari urged all member countries to ensure payment of all statutory community levy in order to empower and enable its commission to implement the sub-regional integration agenda.

    He made the call during the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments.

    Before the meeting went into a closed-door session, President Buhari described the gathering as a clear testimony of the collective resolve to integrate the West African sub-region.

    The Nigerian President also restated his pledge to conduct free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria next year.

    The ECOWAS leaders are expected to discuss the commission’s 2018 annual report, the regional single currency and the political situation during the session.

  • Nigeria contributes $710m to ECOWAS, more than 13 countries put together

    Nigeria has contributed more money to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) than 13 other member states put together in the last 12 years, statistics have shown.

    Statistics on payment of the Community Levy showed that between 2003 and 2015, Nigeria paid $710, 497,352, equivalent to 480, 355,205 West Africa Units of Account (UA).

    The West Africa UA is the official nominal monetary unit of measure or currency used to represent the real value.

    The document was presented by the ECOWAS Commission as part of the Status of the Community report during an Extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament.

    In the same period, 13 other countries contributed a cumulative amount of 697. 947 million dollars.

    The countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal Sierra Leone and Togo.

    Out of the 13 countries mentioned, Guinea Bissau contributed the least amount of 3. 107 million dollars followed by The Gambia with 11. 171 million dollars and Cabo Verde with 12.879 million dollars.

    Within the period, Sierra Leone contributed 19. 632 million; Liberia 29. 988 million dollars,; Guinea 31. 101 million; Niger 37. 788 million ,; Togo $48. 961 and Cote d’Ivoire $54. 173 million.

    Benin Republic contributed a total of $76. 147 million; Mali paid $93. 538 million; Burkina Faso with $105. 278 million; while Senegal paid $174. 177 million.

    The highest paying country after Nigeria is Ghana which paid $327. 976 million within the same period.

    According to the statistics, a total of $1. 736 billion was contributed within the period by all 15 member states, with Nigeria paying 40.9 per cent of the amount.

    The budget for each financial year is met by the member states through their contributions to the Community Levy, a 0.5 per cent tax imposed on goods from non-ECOWAS countries.

    The national customs administrations of member states are responsible for “assessment and collection” of the levy and daily record “accounts of amounts received”.

    However, the contributions by Nigeria is not equivalent to the weight it pulls in the sub-regional body, especially in the Parliament.

    For instance, out of the 35 seats allocated to Nigeria in the Parliament, many of the representatives are usually absent during plenary.

    At the plenary in May 2018, only four members out of 35 were present on the day Nigeria presented its Country Report.

    Also, during its recent ongoing Second Ordinary Session, less than 10 were present for the aforementioned presentation.

    The absenteeism by Nigerians also got the attention of the Bureau of Parliament and other members who expressed displeasure at the attitude of the Nigerians.

    Some representatives from Nigeria also admitted that the attitude had become worrisome and needed to be addressed.

    Hon. Shehu Garba who briefed newsmen after the presentation by Nigeria at the on-going session, said that it was time the leadership of the delegation intervened and deployed people who had time for parliament’s activities.

     

  • Show leadership by example, obey court orders, Falana tells Buhari, other ECOWAS leaders

    Nigerian human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to “comply with judgments and orders of municipal courts and regional tribunals in the interest of public accountability and political stability.”

    The call was made by the lawyer on Wednesday at the ongoing “ECOWAS Consultative Meeting on Access to Justice and Respect for the Rule of Law” in Accra, Ghana. Mr. Falana traced “the lack of respect for court orders to prolonged years of military rule and the belief of African leaders that they are as powerful as the emperors and kings who ruled many communities in Africa before colonialism.”

    According to Mr Falana, “The intervention of the President is a welcome development in view of the growing culture of impunity in Nigeria. But with respect to the President, it is not sufficient to recognise the court as a civilized forum for the amicable resolution of disputes in a democratic society. The aggrieved litigants require a firm assurance that the party leadership will not follow the bad example of the federal government by treating the judgments and orders of the court with contempt.”

    Mr Falana said, “Having now embraced the rule of law, President Buhari ought to direct the State Security Service to release Sheik Ibraheem Elzakzaky and his wife from custody in line with the orders of Federal High Court of December 2, 2016. In the same vein, the orders of the Nigerian courts and the ECOWAS Court for the release of Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) on bail pending trial should be complied with without any further delay.”

    Mr Falana’s paper read in part: “Other high-profile judgments that President Buhari must obey without further delay include at least four judgments obtained by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The first is the judgment by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari ordering the government to tell Nigerians about the stolen asset it allegedly recovered, with details of the amounts recovered.”

    “The second judgment, by Justice Mohammed Idris, ordered the government to publish details on the spending of stolen funds recovered by successive governments since the return of democracy in 1999, while the third judgment, also by Justice Idris, ordered President Buhari to act on reports of investigations into allegations of padding and stealing of some N481 billion from the 2016 budget by some principal officers of the National Assembly, and to ensure prosecution of indicted lawmakers.”

    “The fourth judgement by the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja also obtained by SERAP ordered the Nigerian authorities to provide free and quality education to all Nigerian children without discrimination.”

    “Nigeria has a duty to show leadership by example in the region since President Mohammadu Buhari is the current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of the ECOWAS. Such leadership has just been demonstrated by the Nigerian leader who has been reported to have distanced himself from the decision of the ruling party in Nigeria, the All Progressive Congress (APC) to expel its aggrieved members who sued the party in court over their grievances against the outcome of the recently concluded primaries of the party.”

    “President Buhari should equally show leadership in the region by ensuring that all judgments of the ECOWAS Court against Nigeria are fully and unconditionally obeyed.”

    “The hostile disposition of African states to courts is essentially the same. African governments including Nigeria are yet to move away from the era of military and apartheid regimes when martial law was the order of the day. The rule of law is substituted for the rule of rulers. Not only are orders of courts disregarded, judges who rule against governments are harassed by security forces. The same attitude has been extended to regional and international courts.”

    “Even though majority of African States have ratified the Rome Statute, the African Union (AU) recently attempted to pull Africa out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in order to prevent the Court from holding leaders accountable for gross human rights abuse, aggression, crimes against humanity and genocidal acts. The ICC has been accused of targeting African leaders notwithstanding that most cases of crimes against humanity were referred to the Prosecutor of the ICC by the governments of some African States.”

    “Although the AU has come up with the Malabo Declaration aimed at clothing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights with criminal jurisdiction not a single member state has ratified the Declaration. African leaders are not prepared to respect human rights under the rule of law as only 9 out of the 54-member states of the African Union have made the Declaration accepting the competence of the African Court”.

    “The African people should not be deceived by the attempt of the AU to cover up the grave crimes against humanity and gross violations of the human rights committed by some African leaders. Nigeria and other African governments should emulate the governments of Benin, Cote D’ivoire, Ghana, Mali and The Gambia that have empowered their citizens to access the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights sitting in Arusha, Tanzania.”

    “Notwithstanding the commitment of the member states of the ECOWAS to fight impunity by protecting human rights under the rule of law, compliance with decisions of the court by some of the member states has not been encouraging. The Governments of Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone must without further delay comply with the judgments of the ECOWAS court and their domestic courts.”

    “The Nigerian government should emulate the government of The Gambia that has promoted accountability in all its ramifications. Apart from paying the damages awarded by the ECOWAS Court to two victims of human rights abuse, the government of The Gambia has returned to the ICC and instituted a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission to inquire into the gross human rights abuse that characterized the Yayah Jameh regime.”

     

  • Nigeria emerges chair of ECOWAS Group at UN

    Nigeria emerges chair of ECOWAS Group at UN

    Nigeria has emerged the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Group at the United Nations.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria replaced the Republic of Togo as chairman of the 15-nation sub-regional group.

    The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Tijjani Bande, took over from his Togolese counterpart, Frank Kpayedo, at the sub-regional group’s meeting in New York.

    Mr Bande said Nigeria had always worked with other member-states of the group as ‘brothers’, including agreements on candidatures at the UN without conflicts.

    He noted that on July 28 at Lome, President Muhammadu Buhari was elected chairman of ECOWAS, recalling Mr Buhari was very thankful to his colleagues who urged him to take the lead for this year.

    “Nigeria wants to make sure that we continue to work for the stability and general wellbeing of the sub-region and the region, and as much as possible, we should speak with one voice.

    “We should also speak with one voice outside the continent because West Africa works collaboratively with all other sub-regions on the continent.

    “Nigeria will do the best it can to strengthen the bonds of friendship within the region and do the work we are here to do at this very important platform in a better way and with more assured results for the benefit of all.

    “The West African sub-region has seen better coordination than most sub-regions that operate here at the UN.

    “We have dealt, like at the ECOWAS Commission back home, with matters, particularly to do with stability of the region to the satisfaction of all, even for difficult situations.”

    Mr Bande pledged that Nigeria would continue to do all it could to help coordinate the Group’s work adding, throughout its tenure, the country would provide leadership on all issues.

    Speaking with NAN, the Nigerian envoy said it was a standard practice that ambassadors at the UN would chair the Group just as their heads of state.

    According to him, since Mr Buhari is chairing the ECOWAS heads of state, it follows that Nigeria at the UN should chair the group also.

    “The basic issue is simply to consult with our colleagues from the sub-region to see how the agenda of ECOWAS can be brought and made alive at the UN.

    “Our issues are peace and security, development, technology, agriculture, and speaking also in line with African region because ECOWAS coordinates what we do but we also work very well with the African Group here.

    “President Buhari’s discussion when he took over in Lome, was the same thing we have been discussing, whether as it relates to Guinea or whatever country.

    “As soon as there is an understanding within ECOWAS, we take it here at the UN as part of what we should also push forward; we have a very strong group of ambassadors here.

    “They (ECOWAS ambassadors) are very clear and they are also very strong within the UN’s various platforms, pushing our issues in terms of our priorities; this is what we intend to do as Buhari is also doing at the level of heads of state.”

    The ambassador of Togo, Kpayedo, thanked his colleagues for their support during his one-year tenure, and pledged support to Bande to succeed.

    The ECOWAS Permanent Observer to the UN, Kone Tanou, congratulated Mr Kpayedo on a successful tenure and commended the ambassadors for their trust in Nigeria’s envoy to lead the Group.

    “In few years of service in New York, you have shown great interest on multilateral diplomacy by investing yourself in preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacebuilding and mediation,” Mr Tanou said of Mr Bande.

    Mariame Fofana, Deputy Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the UN, commended Togo for its coordination of the group, and congratulated Nigeria for assuming the Group’s head, pledging her country’s support.

    The representative of the Permanent Mission of Ghana, Solomon Korbieh, said “Nigeria is the pre-eminent power house in the sub-region”, adding in chairing the Group, “Nigeria will make us proud and also carry Africa’s light forward”.

     

  • 2019: INEC removes over 300,000 names from voter register

    2019: INEC removes over 300,000 names from voter register

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it had removed over 300,000 names from its voter register as at last week, as the commission continued preparations for 2019 general elections.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he received a delegation of ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact Finding Mission, led by the Chairman of Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission, Mohamed Conteh, on Monday in Abuja.

    Yakubu said that the names were removed from the register after Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) was carried out on the biometry data of registered voters.

    He said that the commission had started the cleaning up of the register, adding that the commission would between Nov. 6 and Nov. 12 display register of voters nationwide for claims and objections.

    The INEC Chairman urged Nigerians to make use of the opportunity to assist the commission to identify names of ineligible voters for further clean-up.

    “For the registered voters, we have been cleaning up on our own, using the AFIS. As at last week, before I traveled, I was told that over 300,000 names were dropped after the automatic fingerprints identification system.

    “But the cleaning of the voter register is not the sole responsibility of the commission; it is also the responsibility of every Nigerian.

    “ That is why the law says that we should display the register for a period of six days between Nov. 6 and Nov. 12. We will display the voter register in 120, 000 polling units nationwide.

    “I will like to use this opportunity to appeal to the citizens to check when we display the register, so that they can draw the attention of the commission to the prevalence of any ineligible voter on the register so that we can further clean up the register.’’

    Yakubu told the mission that INEC was well prepared for the 2019 general elections, saying it had passed the planning stage, and was now on implementation of the line-up activities for the elections.

    “In fact we can say that the 2019 general election is perhaps the most deliberately well planned election in our history.

    “We have finished the strategic planning; we have finished our strategic programme of action; and we have completed the election project plan. We have issued the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections.

    Yakubu also disclosed that the commission would by Nov. 9 or Nov. 10 release statistics of political parties that nominated candidates for governorship elections to be conducted in 29 states and the State Houses of Assembly in all states.

    Speaking earlier, leader of the mission, Conteh, said that they were in Nigeria to gather relevant information and see how prepared INEC was for the general elections.

    “This is a fact-finding mission to the Federal Republic of Nigeria ahead of the elections.

    “As you are aware that it is common before we start any election, organisations such as ECOWAs come and see the conducting under which election is conducted and gather information in respect of the elections

    “More importantly, meet with you as a major stakeholder, as Election Management Body that is responsible for conduct of election to discuss with you and see how prepared you are for the election,’’ he said.

    Conteh thanked ECOWAS, ECONEC and the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the assistant rendered to Serial Leone during its elections conducted in April.

    Another member of the delegation and former Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Dr Remi Ajibewa, said that the mission would use the visit to meet with other electoral stakeholders in the country.

    These, according to her, include security agencies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and political parties to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2019.