A two-term former member of the Ghanaian delegation to the Community Parliament, Fredrick Opare-Ansah, has advised that the sub-regional bloc should re-organize itself through the leadership of H. E. Ahmed Tinubu, the current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government.
According to him if Nigeria, the powerhouse of Africa is able to assert itself from its “sleep” the rest of West Africa will rise along with it; and emphasized the importance of the Community Parliament to have the legislative power to legislate.
Mr. Opare-Ansah further added that the chair of the Authority of Heads of States and Government with his colleagues should agree to give away some powers to the Community Parliament so that ratification of international agreements would be easier and faster.
“Some of these things, mean the States in ECOWAS must give out some of their sovereignty, because if you want to remain a full sovereign who determines everything by yourself then you cannot allow a Regional body to legislate for you, it’s like a chicken and egg situation”, he said in a telephone interview.
Again, something must give for that to happen and I believe with the right leadership which may be found in President Tinubu, “we should pray that things he has said he will be able to back it up with some work sooner than later”.
As to whether ECOWAS citizens should have high expectations of the chairman, he noted that it’s early days yet of his administration, “we will all have to wait a little longer to see whether he will walk the talk. There are things that need to be done regionally for instance – strengthen the ECOWAS institutions particularly the Community Parliament ensuring that it gets full legislative powers”.
And then, issues that confront the Region as a people – safe borders, trance human issues with the movement of Fulani headsmen, and the issue of getting MPs elected outside their national parliament; so that, they are full-time parliamentarians who can take up some of the issues bordering the sub- region directly and handle just as we see in the Estate African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and European Union (EU) Parliament and Council.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/myecowasnewsonline.com
