ECOWAS must remove colonially imposed physical and psychological barriers. – President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari called on members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday in Abuja to remove “outdated physical and psychological boundaries, as well as other colonially-inspired differences” in order for the region to progress economically.

The President also reminded ECOWAS legislators of the importance of aligning their programs with those of the sub-regional body’s founding fathers.

Buhari stated at the start of the 2022 Second Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament that “the vision of the founding fathers of ECOWAS was to have a West Africa that is economically integrated with harmonized policies, enjoying free movement of persons, goods, and services, as well as seamless right to establishment.”

“We must continue to work harder to achieve those goals.

“Let us use existing mechanisms and our enterprising population to make our dreams a reality.

“We are capable of doing so. Let us work together more to eliminate outdated physical and psychological boundaries, as well as other colonially-inspired differences, so that our region can reach its full potential,” he said.

On the election of members of the ECOWAS Parliament through direct universal suffrage, President Buhari has stated his strong support for the process, provided it is carried out at a low or no cost to the Community.

In explaining Nigeria’s support for the process, he stated that the ECOWAS Parliament can only fulfill its true mandate if it has directly elected and dedicated Members.

“I believe that a membership of the ECOWAS Parliament that is not drawn from serving members of Parliaments of Member States would be a good step toward injecting new energy and initiative into our regional integration,” he said.

The Nigerian president reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ECOWAS efforts to keep the region peaceful, secure, and politically stable, promising that the country would continue to support the restoration of democratic rule in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

“We are convinced that democracy and the rule of law should continue to be the norm in this promising region.”

“Multiple political activities will take place in some ECOWAS Member States, including Nigeria, where general elections are scheduled for February and March 2023.

“Please allow me to take this opportunity to reiterate my commitment to free, fair, and transparent elections, as well as smooth transitions.”

“This is one legacy I want my administration to leave not only to Nigeria, but to the entire region,” he said.

President Buhari declared Nigeria’s readiness to stand by any country in the region that is committed to holding free and fair elections, citing upcoming elections in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The President emphasized that the global economic downturn has had a significant impact on the economies of member countries, resulting in severe economic hardship for Community citizens.

In this context, the President urged the parliament to exercise its sacred duty of carefully scrutinizing the Community budget, mindful of the sacrifices made by various countries in the payment of the Community Levy.

The President identified threats to peace and security, political instability, the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our economies, and the ongoing war in Ukraine as the region’s top concerns.

“It is well documented that the region has never rested on its laurels, as we have always worked to develop effective regional mechanisms to address these challenges.

“At the height of the pandemic, for example, ECOWAS Heads of State appointed me as the ECOWAS champion on COVID-19.

“We developed an effective response by mitigating the effect of COVID-19 on our citizens by working with three Ministerial Committees comprised of Member States’ Ministers of Health, Finance, and Transportation.”

“Our efforts paid off, as the ECOWAS region was one of the sub-regions least affected by the pandemic in terms of mortality rate,” he said.

Despite several challenges, the regional bloc “has continued to wax stronger as a Community and has remained strong and resilient and shining example of regional integration and solidarity,” according to Buhari.

He praised the Organization for progressing in many areas since its inception 47 years ago.

“We have documented changes in our demographic composition as well as the social fabric of our population. We’ve seen our challenges grow in response to our people’s growing aspirations and expectations,” he said.

Buhari assured the legislature that the groundbreaking ceremony for the ECOWAS Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, which will be built by the People’s Republic of China, will take place on December 5, 2022.

The President, who explained that the desire to build an ECOWAS complex that would house the Commission, Parliament, and the Court all in one arena had caused the project’s formal launch to be delayed, told the Parliament that Nigeria, as a country that strongly believes in regional integration and cooperation, will continue to support all ECOWAS institutions based in the country.

“Our pledge to build a new permanent headquarters for this Parliament remains as irrevocable and strong as it has always been,” he said.

Buhari stated that he hoped to complete and officially commission the project before leaving office in May 2023, but the project’s expansion caused the delay.

The President expressed his delight that the project’s drawing harmonization and other technicalities had been completed, paving the way for the groundbreaking ceremony.