By Linus Aleke
The Community Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has vowed to strengthen community institutions to deliver on its statutory mandate to the people of the sub-region.
The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, said this while declaring closed, the 2022 First Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.
According to him, “We need to take back control of our lives and the future of our region. Consequently, Community Institutions, as vehicles of the integration process, must be made to function efficiently towards fulfilling their respective mandates to the people.
“As was stated in my opening address, the first step towards attaining full parliamentary status is the direct election of members to the ECOWAS Parliament. This also means that we must step up the task at hand. We must work relentlessly to ensure that our efforts yield the needed dividend”.
Represented at the closing session by the First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, the Speaker said the Community’s integration and development is indeed a collective task that must continue to be improved upon by all stakeholders.
“It is our fervent desire that our sub-region would continue to soar high until we attain the desired height. In the last few days, this Parliament was able to adopt the Report of the 2022 First Extraordinary Session, Reports of Standing Committees, Joint Committees and Ad Hoc Committees. I am proud of the work done by Members of Parliament, especially in the technical discussions leading to the conclusion of Parliament’s Advisory Opinion on the referrals made by the ECOWAS Commission, covering a variety of subjects.
“As Members of Parliament, our major responsibility is to represent the people and work towards the transformation of our Community into a self-sufficient, sustainable, prosperous, and peaceful sub-region,” he said.
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The Speaker also congratulated all Members who won their respective seats at the just concluded parliamentary elections in some ECOWAS Member States.
While employing them not to betray the trust reposed on them by their constituents, the Speaker urged them to “serve well, lead well, and represent adequately”.
He also commended the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, for presenting the report on the status of the implementation of the Community Work Programme, which adequately covered ECOWAS programmes and projects.