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ECOWAS parliamentarian calls for direct election of members

ECOWAS parliamentarian calls for direct election of members
By: Michael Mike
A member of the 6th ECOWAS Parliament, Sen. Osita Izunaso has called for election of members directly by their constituents into the regional legislative body, rather than through nomination by their countries as it is today.
Izunaso, the First Rapporteur of the parliament’s Joint Committee on Public Accounts, made the call in an interview with journalists in Abidjan on Tuesday.
Izunaso (APC-Imo West) is a fourth-term senator, and longest serving lawmaker from the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones in the Nigerian senate.
Speaking on the sidelines of the parliament’s joint committee on administration, budget, finance, public account, macroeconomic policy, and economic research meeting, he suggested the amendment of the Supplementary Act for that purpose.
“The direct election of members to the ECOWAS Parliament is long overdue.
“We must borrow a leaf from the European Parliament, where members are elected directly by their constituents.
“I think we have to work out a framework for the direct election of members to the ECOWAS Parliament.
“That will go a long way in solving most of the problems of the parliament, and I strongly believe in it.
“I spoke about it when I was making my contributions and I believe that is the best way to go.
“The modalities have to be worked out, and it is one of the issues we are going to agree on in this conference.
“The committee that is in charge will be given that responsibility to work out a framework on how to hold direct elections to ECOWAS Parliament.
“When that happens, I’m sure more powers will be given to the Parliament,” he said.
Izunaso noted that through direct elections, the people’s representatives to the parliament will be elected directly, whether they have been parliamentarians or not.
According to him, it has to be open for people who want to contest to do so because it is not only parliamentarians who have repository of knowledge.
The lawmaker said there were non-parliamentarians that are more knowledge, who might even make better contributions if they were elected into the Parliament.
“The benefit of electing ECOWAS parliamentarians directly is that it will give them more authority, they’ll have more powers, they’ll have more checks and balances.
“This is as enshrined in the principles of Separation of Powers, because when you hold direct elections, you give more powers to the legislature.
“So, it will be more beneficial to the ECOWAS sub-region than it is today,” the senator said.
Izunaso also called for the amendment of the Supplementary Act to give total legislative authority to the ECOWAS Parliament, stressing that there were a lot of gaps that needed to be closed.
He observed that a situation where the ECOWAS Parliament does not have legislative powers with regards to budgeting, it would not augur well for the community.
“So, we are proposing that the Supplementary Act be amended to give more powers to the ECOWAS Parliament, in terms of budgeting and also auditing.
“This is because if you have a parliament that does not exercise legislative duties, then there’s a gap, something is missing somewhere,” he said.
The parliamentarian also proposed that the amendments should include mandating that some key appointments in the ECOWAS parliament be subjected to parliamentary confirmation.
He suggested that the appointment of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the commissioners, and other top management staff should be subjected to parliamentary confirmation.
On the threat of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to exit ECOWAS, the lawmaker said their exit would bring about the dual challenges of funding and exclusion.
“So, it’s not only about the need for more funding, but it’s more of inclusivity; If we say we are ECOWAS, every part of ECOWAS should be together.
“We’re not happy that any one of our member countries would want to pull out, because the more we are, the merrier, so we want them back.
“But I believe that the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of Government are working towards resolving the issues,” Izunaso added.
ECOWAS parliamentarian calls for direct election of members
News
Three Fulani women abducted by gunmen in Kwara

Three Fulani women abducted by gunmen in Kwara
By: Zagazola Makama
Atleast three Fulani women were abducted by armed hoodlums who attacked Awi village, a Fulani/Hausa camp near Omu-Aran, under sporadic gunfire.
Sources disclosed that the incident occurred on June 29 at about 1:00 a.m. and was reported later that morning by one Danbare Sarki Fulani, a community leader.
The victims were identified as: Halimi Kadiri, Gaaje Yusuf, and a nursing mother Maria Isah. All the victims are said to be of Fulani Bororo origin.
Upon receipt of the report at about 10:00 a.m., a team security operatives and members of the local vigilante group was immediately mobilised to the scene and began combing the nearby forests,” the statement said.
Additionally, the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) team attached to Omu-Aran, alongside neighbouring Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and local vigilantes, have launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation aimed at locating the victims and apprehending the perpetrators.
Police sources confirmed that investigation is ongoing and assured the public of continued efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted women and restoration of peace in the area.
Three Fulani women abducted by gunmen in Kwara
News
Troops neutralise 2 ISWAP insurgents planting IEDs on Borno highway

Troops neutralise 2 ISWAP insurgents planting IEDs on Borno highway
By: Zagazola Makama
The Nigerian Army troops of Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai, have neutralised two suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attempting to plant Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along a critical highway in Borno State.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama on Monday that the ambush operation occurred along the strategic Trans-Timbuktu (TT) corridor, extending towards the Katarko–Goniri axis.
The sources said that the operation was conducted following credible intelligence on the movement of a terrorist IED-laying party along the route.
“During the encounter, troops engaged the terrorists in a brief but decisive firefight, killing two insurgents and forcing others to flee.
“Items recovered at the scene included two AK-47 rifles, several magazines, a motorcycle, and materials intended for constructing IEDs. Equipment designed to cut through tarred roads for the concealment of explosives was also found.
“The swift response by the troops not only thwarted a potential attack on military and civilian vehicles but also helped to secure a major supply route frequently targeted by terrorists,” a security source said.
The military has since intensified patrols and route clearance operations in the general area to prevent further attempts by the insurgents.
Troops neutralise 2 ISWAP insurgents planting IEDs on Borno highway
News
Bandits kill two, abduct four in Katsina community

Bandits kill two, abduct four in Katsina community
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have killed two persons and abducted four others in a late-night attack on Gidan Tamba village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the incident, which occurred on June 29 at about 10:45 p.m., threw the quiet rural community into panic as the gunmen stormed the area and opened fire indiscriminately.
One of the victims, Ashiru Shafiu, aged 60, was reportedly shot dead on the spot, while another resident, Suleiman Yusuf, also 60, collapsed during the raid and later died of cardiac arrest. Both were rushed to the General Hospital in Kankara, where they were confirmed dead.
In addition to the fatalities, four residents were abducted during the attack. They have been identified as: Kazeem Nuhu, Shafiu Aliyu, Rama Dan Mallam and Ummah Abdulwahab.
The attackers reportedly arrived on motorcycles and disappeared into the surrounding forest with the kidnapped victims.
Bandits kill two, abduct four in Katsina community
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