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Lawmakers at ECOWAS Parliament Still in Fight Over Employment of Staff

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Lawmakers at ECOWAS Parliament Still in Fight Over Employment of Staff

By Michael Mike

The controversy surrounding the recent employment by the Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) is not over yet as lawmakers at it’s parliament have rejected a motion to present the outcome of the Ad-hoc committee setup to review allegations of nepotism in the exercise.

The lawmakers registered their protestation against the committee headed by Nigerian Senator Ali Ndume, at the plenary session of the 2nd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, in Lome, Togo while alleging that the Speaker of Parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis constituted the review committee without recourse to parliament.

The lawmakers noted that it was against the rules of parliament for the recruitment exercise to have gone ahead after it was voted to be suspended in the last parliamentary session when allegations of favouritism were raised.

Hon Awaji-Inombek Abiante who moved a point of order said that the report of the Ad-hoc Committee as set up by the Bureau was given the mandate to work without recourse to its adoption by the Plenary as such was illegal in its entirety.

This position was supported by Nigeria’s Senator Smart Adeyemi, who drew the Speaker’s attention to the adverse implication of the exercise.

Adeyemi said, “when actions are taken that are not in conformity with the spirit and the content of the documents that are supposed to guide us I think Mr. Speaker let us accept that something was done wrong. We should be courageous to say that, but for you to say that you prefer the decision that was not in conformity with the law, as an infringement to the modalities of the Parliament, in fact, the contrary is the case, if we go ahead to accept what is not properly done then the integrity of Parliament itself will be questioned.

“It means that as we are here, somebody can take a decision on our behalf without consulting us. Mr. Speaker with due respect to your position, I personally like you, I respect you, but this decision is not in intent and spirit of the document before us.”

Another lawmaker, Hon. Samson Ahi from Ghana argued that the formation of the Ad-hoc Committee was against the rules of parliament.

He said. “I just want to find out from you Mr. Speaker, are you saying that with the consultation of the Bureau you constituted an Ad-hoc Committee and after that, you gave them a mandate to work without the approval of the entire house, is that what you are saying?

“My understanding is that you can constitute the committee, alright, but it is subject to the approval by the entire members before they can legally work. If you and your Bureau can constitute a committee and they start working without recourse to members before you present your report, then I think there is something wrong with what you have done.”

Also, Nigeria’s Hon. Abdullahi Kamba noted that the Bureau has no right or powers to take the decision and that they should have reverted back to Plenary to form an Ad-hoc committee.

He said: “Not them as the Bureau forming the Committee, it is wrong, and for that matter, I hope that whatever report the Ad-hoc committee has should not be read here, we should form the committee today so that they can start work.”

Responding to the backlash, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator, Ali Ndume said “I am standing here because of the Ad-hoc committee that was formed and vested with powers to investigate on the matters raised by our high Commissioner from Nigeria and also the First Deputy Speaker on the purported irregularities in recruitment which was suspended.

“Our mandate as at that time and now did not lift the ban for the suspension that was the decision that was taken at the Plenary.

“On behalf of the other colleagues that undertook this Ad-hoc job, we didn’t look for the job. In fact in my own case I was in my local government because we were on recess and I was mourning my father; then the Speaker called me to say that there is an issue that came up that is eating the system which was true as at that time and that he needed some members as a committee to immediately look into the matter and report. “

He added that: “We have a mission but now I am embarrassed by the observation of abnormalities. I am not looking for this job and I am sure our other colleagues are not looking for this job. I am also sure that even if a new committee has to be formed it has to be members of this ECOWAS, and I don’t think they are looking for the job either and I don’t think any of us cannot do this job.

“I was thinking that members will hear me out or hear the committee or even adopt if there is abnormality because I know the situations where normally if the head of the institution takes a decision that decision is not questioned, but it looked into with the view of ratifying it.”

Ndume said: “Distinguish colleagues, I don’t want it to put my personal interest but because of the interest of the workers, if not I will not present the report, I will not continue with illegality, you have to decide.”

The Speaker of Parliament, Tunis moved that the recruitment process be suspended indefinitely, a decision which seems to have infuriated Senator Edwin Snowe from Liberia who walked out of the plenary in protest of the deferment.

Shortly after the session, at a press conference, the Speaker of ECOWAS parliament accused lawmakers in the parliament of mischief and a deliberate misrepresentation of facts in order to garner the sympathy of constituents.

He said: “You will recall that in the last session in Abuja, Honourable Members raised the issue of recruitment in the ECOWAS Parliament, in fact the impression at that time was that there were a lot of malpractices regarding the recruitment exercises.

“When I got the information, I decided to set up an independent Ad-hoc Committee, headed by a very senior senator from Nigeria, Ali Ndume, to look at the whole situation and to determine whether in fact Nigerians were marginalized, and whether the process was transparent in line with our Supplementary Act in the staff regulations, and any other issues that may arise from their investigations.”

“They submitted their report to me and I called a Bureau meeting. We looked at the report, we adopted it by law and based on the fact that the committee found out that there was nothing wrong in the recruitment exercises, we decided to go ahead to discuss it, to now consider the Advisory Committee Report. The Advisory Committee is provided for in our Staff Regulations, their responsibility is more or less to look at shortlisting and interviews for staff members. The composition of that particular committee is clearly indicated in our Staff Regulations and how to determine who will be a member is already stated in the Staff Regulations. So it’s just a question of looking at the positions, like if they said the Director of Finance is a member, you look at the Parliament who is the Director of Administration you put the person there. It’s all clear in the Staff Regulations.

“By law and in line with the Supplementary Act we have done our part, but of course because the issue of recruitment initially came up from the Plenary I decided that the Chairman should also report to the Plenary for information purposes only, because the Law does not in any way require Plenary to deal with recruitment issues.

“If you look at the recruitment issues, a reference is made to the head of the institution, which is me, I am the Speaker. I am wearing two hats, one as the Head of Institution and the other as Speaker. So as Head of Institutions I can take decisions with regards to that, but then, I can say because colleagues in the Plenary actually raised the issue I needed to be very clear in my mind and to the public, that in fact the process was transparent and it was all done in line with the Law.

“What I am about to tell you especially for our Colleagues in Nigeria, because this is were there was a huge publicity about malpractices in the ECOWAS Parliament, I want the public to know that the Senator Ali Ndume report which will be given to you clearly exonerated the Parliament that from G to P4 Recruitment as ongoing at the ECOWAS Parliament is transparent and in line with the Staff Regulations and the Supplementary Act, that is very important I want the public especially our Nigerian Public to know, that there we no malpractices. Number two, that Nigerians were not marginalized at all in the whole process.

“As a matter of fact, out of ten positions from the report now that has been submitted to us by the Advisory Committee, 5 of them went to Nigeria, 1 to Sierra Leone, 1 to Senegal, 1 to Guinea Bissau, 1 to Niger and 1 to Ghana, and it also important and very important to inform the general public that 70% of this new recruitment came from the internal staff, that means people who have already been serving the ECOWAS Parliament,” the Speaker explained.

The speaker equally alleged that another reason for the row in parliament was because lawmakers are protesting a new administrative rule that takes away the prerogative to buy air tickets from lawmakers themselves and vested it in administration.

He noted that: “When I came to Parliament in 2018, we used to buy our own tickets then the Parliament would refund. They gave us a threshold for a return ticket, then in 2019, that is before I took over as Speaker, that changed completely because of an audit report which I don’t know the details of because by then I was not the Speaker.

“From then, tickets for MPs were not going to be bought by the MPs. When I took over in 2020 that’s what I inherited, but then in the last two years I have been Speaker there has always been agitations from Honourable Members that we should go back to what was obtained in 2018, or before I joined Parliament that MPs should be buying their own tickets.

“I have been resisting it for some time and resisting because I am one person that always believes in what the rule says.

“The reason why I had decided to encourage the idea of MPs buying their own tickets is because I looked at the budget circular, but then from the figures I saw the Parliament was spending more on tickets for MPs, and we were talking about cutting down cost.

“It will only be proper for me to toe the line of MPs for me to say let us try again this idea of buying our own tickets and see what will come out of it. But I must make it very clear, these are not just proposals, the law as it stands right now, is that Parliament was supposed to buy it.

Lawmakers at ECOWAS Parliament Still in Fight Over Employment of Staff

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PRESIDENT TINUBU AT 9TH INT’L ENERGY SUMMIT: Nigeria Stands Ready With Africa, Global Partners To Deliver Secure, Affordable, Cleaner Energy

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2 days ago

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February 3, 2026

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PRESIDENT TINUBU AT 9TH INT’L ENERGY SUMMIT: Nigeria Stands Ready With Africa, Global Partners To Deliver Secure, Affordable, Cleaner Energy

Says energy remains central to peace, prosperity, global stability, unity among communities

By: Our Reporter

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has restated Nigeria’s readiness to collaborate with African nations, global partners and the private sector to deliver cleaner, affordable, inclusive, and more secure energy.

He said energy plays a critical role as the invisible force holding the modern world together, as well as the quiet architecture of balance among nations, the unseen hand that steadies economies and sustains societies.

The Nigerian leader stated this on Tuesday in Abuja when he declared open the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit that was well attended by heads of delegation and senior government officials from across the globe, as well as leaders of international energy organizations, chief executives of global and indigenous energy companies, development finance institutions, and representatives of host communities.

President Tinubu, who was represented at the summit by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, observed that while energy remains central to peace, prosperity, and global stability, Nigeria is focusing heavily on utilizing its vast gas reserves as a transition fuel and expanding renewable energy capacity.

“Energy must unite communities, stabilize economies, and secure futures. It must power factories, illuminate homes, fuel innovation, and build trust between government, investors, and citizens.

“Nigeria stands ready to collaborate with Africa, global partners, and the private sector to deliver energy that is secure, affordable, cleaner, and inclusive,” he declared.

The Nigerian leader recalled that even though his administration inherited an energy sector that was rich in potential in 2023, the sector was “constrained by inefficiencies, uncertainty, and prolonged underinvestment.

“We set to work without fanfare, guided by the clear understanding that energy cannot be treated simply as an economic commodity if stability is our goal. Energy is a catalyst for national security, industrial growth, social inclusion, and regional cooperation,” he noted.

President Tinubu assured that his government was fully committed to “building an energy system that delivers reliability, transparency, sustainability, and shared prosperity.”

Outlining efforts by his administration to boost the energy sector, the President said his administration sustained and deepened the full implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, consolidating its role as the live wire of sector reform and strengthened regulatory institutions to ensure clarity of roles, transparency, and investor confidence.

He continued: “Under our watch, Nigeria’s upstream activity recorded a historic rebound. Rig counts rose from eight rigs in 2021 to sixty-nine rigs by late 2025, reflecting renewed exploration and drilling momentum.

“The sector secured Final Investment Decisions exceeding eight billion United States dollars, including major offshore gas developments involving global energy companies. Foreign direct investment into the oil and gas subsector rebounded strongly, driven by regulatory certainty, fiscal reforms, and improved operating conditions.”

Under his watch, President Tinubu said crude oil theft, which had been a major constraint on production and revenue, declined significantly due to enhanced security coordination, surveillance, and regulatory enforcement, adding that the efforts paid off, as they restored operational stability and improved Nigeria’s production reliability in international markets.

Apart from deliberate leadership appointments across key regulatory and development institutions that reinforced professionalism, accountability, and institutional effectiveness, the President stated that “early reforms, most notably fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange liberalization, repositioned the sector’s economics, improved market efficiency, and enhanced long-term investment attractiveness.

“While these measures required national sacrifice, they laid the foundation for sustainability, fiscal resilience, and investor confidence. Industry stakeholders and independent experts have described these reforms as transformational, aligning Nigeria’s energy sector with global best practices,” he added.

Formally declaring the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit open, the Nigerian leader implored participants “to engage constructively, invest confidently, and partner purposefully with Nigeria.”

Earlier, Gambian President, Adama Barrow, observed that Nigeria’s policies have implications far beyond its borders, noting that working together through strategic partnerships is key to regional solutions and energy security.

President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, maintained that Africa must cease to be merely an exporter of raw materials and focus on processing them for the betterment of future generations.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in a speech that was read on his behalf, averred that in Africa, energy is not just about resources but about inclusive and sustainable prosperity.

He assured that the National Assembly is ready to work with relevant stakeholders through legislative backing, agreeing that when the energy system works, the economy grows more resilient.

On his part, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), said the gathering was a call to action to make energy a champion for advancement.

He commended the Dangote Refinery, BUA, and other refiners for making significant investments in Nigeria’s energy sector.

For his part, Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), noted that while collaboration is essential in building a reliable energy system, President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is already positioning gas as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s energy security.

He assured that the government was strengthening oil and gas stability while supporting regional integration and building on the meaningful gains recorded in the sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Aradel Holdings Plc, Adegbite Falade, said gas production in Nigeria has grown significantly since 2025, with indigenous producers increasingly allowed to thrive.

According to him, under the leadership of Mr President, requisite reforms and executive orders have been approved, thereby increasing local ownership in the sector.

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd. (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, also lent his voice, stressing that Africa is at a turning point in the energy sector.

He said Nigeria is well positioned to lead this charge, with over 37 billion barrels of oil potential, making the country an emerging global energy powerhouse.

PRESIDENT TINUBU AT 9TH INT’L ENERGY SUMMIT: Nigeria Stands Ready With Africa, Global Partners To Deliver Secure, Affordable, Cleaner Energy

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Marwa Seeks Nationwide Backing for Alternative Development to Curb Illicit Drug Cultivation

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2 days ago

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February 3, 2026

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Marwa Seeks Nationwide Backing for Alternative Development to Curb Illicit Drug Cultivation

By: Michael Mike

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), has called for a coordinated national response to illicit drug cultivation, urging broad support for Nigeria’s newly introduced alternative development programme.

Marwa made the appeal at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, where he highlighted the need for sustained collaboration among government institutions, communities, development partners and the private sector to ensure the success of the initiative.

The alternative development programme, the first of its kind in Africa, was recently launched as a pilot scheme in three cannabis-producing communities — Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo — in Ondo State.

According to Marwa, the initiative is designed to address the root causes of illicit drug production by providing lawful and sustainable economic opportunities for affected communities.

Explaining the strategy, the NDLEA boss said the programme extends beyond replacing cannabis with other crops, adding that it promotes rural economic growth, strengthens agricultural value chains, improves food security and reduces the pressure on law enforcement and the criminal justice system. He noted that the approach also contributes to peace and social stability in areas previously linked to drug-related crime.

Marwa, while describing the pilot phase as encouraging, said the level of acceptance by host communities and traditional leaders demonstrated the effectiveness of community-driven solutions. He explained that residents have embraced the programme as a dignified pathway to improved livelihoods, reduced poverty and enhanced local security.

Marwa stressed that Nigeria’s drug challenge, particularly cannabis cultivation and use, necessitated a shift from enforcement-only measures to development-focused interventions endorsed by the United Nations.

He cited findings from the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which indicated that over 14 million Nigerians had used psychoactive substances within a one-year period, with cannabis accounting for the highest level of use.

He further revealed that cannabis remains the most prevalent illicit drug in Nigeria, with millions of users nationwide and thousands of hectares of land under cultivation, particularly in forested areas of the South-West. According to him, these cultivation sites are often linked to organized criminal networks that supply both local and cross-border markets.

The NDLEA chairman warned that widespread cannabis production and consumption pose serious public health, social and security risks, especially for young people. He disclosed that more than three-quarters of all illicit drugs seized by the agency in the last five years were cannabis, underscoring the scale of the problem.

Despite the challenge, Marwa expressed optimism that the alternative development programme could significantly reduce illicit cultivation if backed by strong political will and sustained stakeholder support. He emphasized that the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the areas of security, agriculture and community development.

Marwa commended both local and international partners for supporting the pilot project, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, agricultural research institutions and development organizations from several countries. He also acknowledged the support of the Ondo State Government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

He called on communities affected by illicit drug cultivation to work closely with the NDLEA in building legal, productive and secure livelihoods, describing the programme as a people-focused intervention aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s future.

Marwa Seeks Nationwide Backing for Alternative Development to Curb Illicit Drug Cultivation

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Army troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA foil bandits’ attack, recover rustled animals in Sokoto

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February 3, 2026

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Army troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA foil bandits’ attack, recover rustled animals in Sokoto

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation FANSAN YANMA, in collaboration with other security agencies, have foiled an early morning attack by armed bandits on Gandu Village in Wamako Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on Feb. 1, 2026, at about 4:00 a.m., when a large group of bandits armed with sophisticated weapons invaded the community, firing sporadically.

The sources said troops from a nearby Army Forward Operating Base (FOB) and tactical teams were immediately deployed to block entry and exit routes to the village, while combing the area for suspects.

“Two suspects, identified as Aliyu Abubakar and Malam Garba, were arrested in possession of two rustled cows and a pickup vehicle,” the source said, adding that all neighbouring units have been alerted to watch out for fleeing bandits.

Army troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA foil bandits’ attack, recover rustled animals in Sokoto

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