Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas have said the myriad challenges in the West African subregion can be surmounted if the ECOWAS Parliament is galvanised by the spirit of unity, innovation, and an unwavering belief in the subregion’s shared destiny.
While Akpabio stressed the need to transform the region’s collective aspirations into enduring achievements, Abbas urged the parliament) to find solutions to the menace of terrorism, banditry, piracy, human trafficking, human rights abuses, the impact of climate change and bad governance in the sub-region.
They spoke yesterday at the opening of the 2024 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament at the National Assembly, Abuja.
Represented by the deputy Senate president and the first deputy speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Barau Jibrin, Akpabio highlighted the centuries-old history of collaboration among the region’s diverse people.
He urged the parliament to go beyond legislation and uplift the people by exemplifying the power of collaboration.
“As we embark on the deliberations and discussions that lie ahead, let us remain steadfast in our optimism. The challenges we face are not insurmountable. We can transform our collective aspirations into enduring achievements with unity, innovation, and an unwavering belief in our shared destiny.
“In this session, let our conversations be driven by the spirit of partnership and collective ambition. Let us demonstrate that when West Africa stands united, there are no limits to what we can accomplish. Our diversity is our strength, and our unity is our power.
“From the ancient empires of Ghana, Oyo, Mali, and Songhai, which flourished through trade and cooperation, to the pivotal alliances forged during the fight for independence, the spirit of unity has always guided our path,” Akpabio said.
Represented by his deputy, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who was formally inaugurated as a member of the parliament earlier, the Speaker also called for increased passion and commitment on the part of the member states of the sub-regional body.
While emphasising that the parliament’s resolutions can only fly when stronger dedication is demonstrated, he said: “Since its establishment by the ECOWAS Treaty in 1975, the ECOWAS Parliament has no doubt contributed immensely to strengthening representative democracy, promoting and defending human rights, democracy, the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and good governance in the subregion.
“While I feel greatly delighted to commend the ECOWAS Parliament for these invaluable contributions, we must also acknowledge that these multifaceted challenges are still confronting the sub-region in new and complex dimensions. Terrorism, banditry, piracy, human trafficking, human rights abuses, the impact of climate change and bad governance have remained serious impediments to the peace, security and economic development of our sub-region.
“These challenges have placed greater responsibility on the ECOWAS Parliament to continue to carry out its legislative functions with increased vigour, passion and commitment. I sincerely hope that this session of parliament will produce resolutions that will positively impact and go a long way in mitigating these challenges. However, it is important to stress that any resolutions reached will amount to nothing if there is no commitment and cooperation from ECOWAS member states,” Abbas said.
In his goodwill message, Abbas Tajudeen, who was represented by the deputy speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, said that despite the numerous challenges confronting the subregion, the ECOWAS Parliament remains strong, resolute, and committed to upholding the ideals of democratic governance, economic integration, peace, and security.
He assured that the National Assembly will continue to partner with and support the ECOWAS Parliament in capacity building, enhancing legislative practices, sharing experience, and ensuring that resolutions passed are implemented.
In her opening speech, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon Memounatou Ibrahima while welcoming members to the session, expressed deep concern over the upsurge in the threat of terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime, which is costing the lives of valiant defence and security forces, as well as thousands of innocent people in West Africa.