Nigeria’s representatives absent at ECOWAS Parliament

Dr. Nelson Magbagbeola, the ECOWAS Parliament Secretary-General, has said Nigerian parliamentarians absent at the just-concluded ECOWAS Parliament 4th Legislature de-localised meeting in Niamey still had the opportunity to be part of the process.
Magbagbeola told the News Agency of Nigeria in Niamey at the end of the five-day meeting that Nigeria’s three representatives could join in the discussion of the meeting’s Report in Abuja in November.
Nigeria’s representatives are members of committees on Gender, Women Empowerment and Social Protection; Human Rights, Child Protection; and Vulnerable Groups of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Magbagbeola said: “This is a committee meeting.
“There is the committee on women affairs and that of human rights.
“Although they are not here, they are still going to discuss the report of their committees in Abuja.
“And, this will be taken to plenary.
“So they still have another opportunity to discuss the report of the meeting.
“It will not in any way affect them.”
According to Magbagbeola, the report will be agreed on before it will be presented at plenary.
The secretary-general, however, added that though Nigerian parliamentarians were absent at the meeting “because of their tight schedules”, they were very committed to the integration project of the ECOWAS Parliament.
But in a separate interview, Saka Azimazi, former Executive Secretary, Network of National Human Rights Institution in West Africa, described the absence of Nigerian parliamentarians at the Niamey meeting as a “dent” on Nigeria.
Azimazi, who was a resource person at the meeting, said the development was unfortunate and portrayed Nigeria as an unserious country.
He, however, added that the absence of the parliamentarians would not have any adverse effect on the outcome of the meeting.
He said: “We are discussing about half of the population of West Africa and the people that are supposed to represent Nigeria are not here.
“It is a dent on our image because leadership is not just in being a big country, it includes the participation in activities that are necessary for the development and progress of your people.
“We are discussing issues that affect women here and the people that are supposed to represent Nigeria are not here.
“I do not think that this is a good sign.”
Harmonising of national laws, international treaties and conventions relating to gender policies, maternal mortality, discrimination and violence against women and female empowerment were among issues discussed at the meeting.
ECOWAS Parliament is made up of 15-member countries, including Nigeria, Niger, Togo, Gambia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Others are Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone.