This was said by Senator Barau Jibrin, the first deputy speaker of the ECOWAS parliament, at the commencement of the second extraordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament’s sixth legislature in Kano in 2024.
Yesterday, the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) considered appointing an ad hoc mediation team to help Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso abstain from.
This was said by Senator Barau Jibrin, the first deputy speaker of the ECOWAS parliament, at the commencement of the second extraordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament’s sixth legislature in Kano in 2024.
In order to advance democracy, bolster security, and further development in the subregion, Senator Barau—who also serves as the deputy senate president of the Nigerian red chamber—called for close cooperation between the community’s parliament and other ECOWAS organisations.
He said: “There is a compelling need to build strong collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and undertake joint initiatives aimed at strengthening regional security and advancing development.
”While it is true that each institution has its unique prerogative, the fact remains that there exist cross-cutting issues that are best addressed with enhanced collaboration among the community institutions.
“As the Parliament looks towards facilitating the promotion of democracy, checks and balances, as well as accountability in the ECOWAS Community, having a strong ECOWAS Parliament is indispensable.
”I have had the esteemed honour of leading this parliament for barely two months and I have concluded that much needs to be done in terms of asserting the independence of the Parliament in the exercise of its important roles of parliamentary oversight and representation.
“There is also a compelling need to build strong collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and undertake joint initiatives aimed at strengthening regional security and advancing development.”