National News

Lawmakers at ECOWAS Parliament Still in Fight Over Employment of Staff

Published

4 years ago

October 9, 2022

Ochuwa Ibrahim

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

National News

Judge Weighs Recusal in IGP Contempt Case Over Missing Man as Police Stay Away

Published

23 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Judge Weighs Recusal in IGP Contempt Case Over Missing Man as Police Stay Away

By: Michael Mike

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has deferred a decision on whether to continue presiding over contempt proceedings against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), saying she is considering stepping aside because of her deep involvement in the case.

The contempt proceedings arise from allegations that the IGP failed to obey subsisting court orders directing the police to produce officers implicated in the disappearance of John Anozie and to present several case files linked to the matter. The court had also awarded N2 million in damages to Mr. Anozie’s wife, Nnenna Anozie.

At Monday’s proceedings, the IGP was not represented in court.

When the matter was called, counsel to Mrs. Anozie, Vincent Adodo, told the court that the applicant was ready to proceed with the application seeking to commit the IGP for contempt over the alleged non-compliance with the court’s orders.

Before the application could be argued, Justice Nyako disclosed that she had reflected extensively on the case and was contemplating transferring the contempt proceedings to another judge.

“I have been thinking about this matter, and I am of the opinion that I should send this case to one of my brother judges to take the contempt proceedings,” the judge said.

“I feel I have been so involved in the matter.”

However, Adodo urged the court to retain the case, stating that his client had confidence in the judge’s continued handling of the proceedings.

“We are comfortable with you handling the case, My Lord,” he said.

Justice Nyako said she would take one week to decide whether to continue hearing the contempt application or assign it to another judge.

The proceedings also revealed what appears to be a breakthrough in efforts to recover one of the missing police case files central to the dispute.

Adodo informed the court that the file had been located and temporarily released to his legal team for photocopying before it was returned to the respondents over two weeks ago.

“They have found the case file,” he said, adding that the only outstanding step was for the authorities to certify the document.

“The only thing they need to do is just to certify it,” he told the court.

Reacting, Justice Nyako remarked: “At least something is happening.”

Background

The case stems from the alleged abduction of John Anozie by operatives of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos in June 2017. His whereabouts have remained unknown since the incident, making the case one of the unresolved allegations of enforced disappearance linked to the former police unit.

The suit has become a test of police accountability and compliance with judicial orders. The pending contempt proceedings seek to determine whether the IGP should be sanctioned for allegedly failing to obey the court’s directives, with Justice Nyako expected next week to decide whether she will continue hearing the matter or transfer it to another judge.

Judge Weighs Recusal in IGP Contempt Case Over Missing Man as Police Stay Away

National News

WAHO: Stronger Regional Cooperation Vital to Safeguard West Africa’s Health

Published

3 days ago

July 12, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

WAHO: Stronger Regional Cooperation Vital to Safeguard West Africa’s Health

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) has marked its 39th anniversary with a bold declaration that the future of healthcare in the ECOWAS region hinges on stronger regional cooperation, sustainable financing, technological innovation and preparedness against emerging health threats.

In a landmark anniversary statement issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agency, WAHO Director-General, Dr. Melchior Aïssi, reflected on nearly four decades of regional health collaboration, while outlining an ambitious roadmap aimed at tackling some of the most pressing health challenges confronting West Africa.

Founded on July 9, 1987, by the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), WAHO was established to coordinate regional responses to health emergencies, harmonise health policies and strengthen healthcare systems across member states. Dr. Aïssi said the organisation has remained steadfast in pursuing that vision despite evolving political and institutional realities.

Describing the anniversary as particularly significant because it coincides with the completion of his tenure as Director-General, Aïssi said the organisation had weathered numerous challenges while recording remarkable achievements through collective commitment by ECOWAS institutions, member states and development partners.

According to him, even the relocation of WAHO’s headquarters to Côte d’Ivoire and wider changes within the ECOWAS community failed to slow the organisation’s momentum.

Instead, he noted, the developments underscored the resilience of the institution and the dedication of its workforce.

The Director-General highlighted several major initiatives pursued over the past year, including efforts to strengthen national health systems, promote exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life, mobilise protected domestic resources for healthcare financing and expand implementation of the regional community health policy.

One of the defining milestones, he said, came during the 27th Assembly of ECOWAS Ministers of Health held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where ministers adopted far-reaching regional policy instruments expected to shape healthcare delivery for years to come.

Among the landmark decisions were the adoption of a Regional Framework for Malaria Elimination, the Freetown Charter on technology and data-driven reduction of maternal, neonatal and infant mortality, regional recommendations on exclusive breastfeeding and new commitments to strengthen domestic financing for healthcare.

Aïssi described the decisions as evidence of a growing determination among ECOWAS member states to build more resilient, innovative and equitable health systems capable of delivering quality healthcare to millions across the sub-region.

The Director-General also welcomed renewed confidence expressed by ECOWAS Ministers of Health in WAHO’s leadership and performance, saying the recognition belonged to the organisation’s staff, member states and partners whose commitment enabled the institution to achieve results despite operating under difficult conditions.

Looking beyond the anniversary celebrations, Aïssi warned that West Africa faces increasingly complex health threats requiring coordinated regional action.

He identified health security, emerging and re-emerging diseases, climate change, digital transformation of healthcare systems, regional pharmaceutical production and sustainable financing as critical priorities that demand stronger collaboration among governments and stakeholders.

“I remain deeply convinced that the future of our Organisation rests on this collective capacity to innovate, to pool our experiences and to act together for the benefit of our populations,” he said.

Paying tribute to those who have contributed to WAHO’s journey over the past 39 years, Aïssi praised ECOWAS leaders, ministers of health, healthcare professionals, technical and financial partners, and the organisation’s staff for building what he described as one of Africa’s leading regional health institutions.

He expressed confidence that WAHO would continue to advance the vision of universal access to quality healthcare for every woman, man and child in West Africa through sustained support from member states and international partners.

WAHO: Stronger Regional Cooperation Vital to Safeguard West Africa’s Health

National News

Sokoto donates 62 armoured vehicles, 320 motorcycles to security agencies

Published

6 days ago

July 9, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Sokoto donates 62 armoured vehicles, 320 motorcycles to security agencies

By: Zagazola Makama

The Christopher Gwabin Musa has expressed confidence that Nigeria’s current security challenges will soon be overcome, urging Nigerians to continue supporting security agencies in the fight against terrorism and banditry.

Musa made the remarks on Wednesday in Sokoto during the inauguration of 62 armoured vehicles and 320 motorcycles procured by the Sokoto State Government for deployment by various security agencies operating in the state.

The security assets, valued at about N27.7 billion, are expected to enhance the operational capabilities of security agencies in tackling banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.

The defence chief stressed the need for security personnel to remain resolute in confronting criminal elements, while urging Nigerians to regard security as a collective responsibility through timely intelligence sharing and community support.

He described Sokoto as his home state, recalling that he was born and raised there, and commended the efforts of the state government in sustaining peace despite recent security challenges in some parts of the state.

According to him, the administration of Ahmed Aliyu has consistently supported security agencies with critical logistics, noting that the latest intervention would further boost troop morale and operational effectiveness.

Musa appealed to other state governments and well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the Sokoto Government by supporting security agencies with logistics and other resources needed to combat insecurity.

He also said that security remains a key priority under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assuring Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to restoring lasting peace and stability across the country.

Earlier, Gov. Ahmed Aliyu said the newly acquired armoured vehicles and motorcycles would be deployed to identified flashpoints to strengthen ongoing operations against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.

The governor said the intervention was aimed at improving the operational efficiency of security agencies and ensuring the protection of lives and property across the state.

He disclosed that his administration had previously spent more than N36.27 billion on similar logistics support for the Armed Forces and other security agencies operating in Sokoto State.

Aliyu further revealed that the Sokoto State House of Assembly was considering legislation that would prescribe sanctions for informants aiding criminal groups, similar to those imposed on bandits.

He reaffirmed that security remains a top priority under his administration’s Nine-Point Smart Agenda and commended the Federal Government, the Armed Forces, other security agencies and stakeholders for their continued efforts in addressing insecurity.

The governor also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his sustained support towards improving the nation’s security architecture.

In his remarks, the Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by the Wazirin Sokoto, Sambo Wali Junaidu, commended the governor for his sustained investment in security, describing the intervention as a significant contribution to the protection of lives and property in the state.

Sokoto donates 62 armoured vehicles, 320 motorcycles to security agencies