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ECOWAS Parliament: Speaker Ibrahima Call On Member States to Increase Funding

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By Gloria Ikibah 
 
The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States Parliament, Rt. Honourable Memounatou Ibrahima, has charged member states to scale up funding to meet the multifaceted challenges for the institution.
 
Speaker Ibrahima stated this at the delocalized meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament Joint Committee on Administration, Budget, Finance, Public Account, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research ongoing  in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Monday, with the theme:  ‘‘The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament in Community Budget Formulation and Monitoring’’.
 
She acknowledged that the subregion was currently experiencing financial difficulties and dangers, which has threatened the execution and realisation of community projects and programmess that necessitated increased funding by member states.
 
She stated: “I want to seize the opportunity of our meeting to call on the member states to scale up their efforts to finance the community.
 
“The current context is marked by the global repercussions of recession and inflation, provoked by international tensions, and the security threats within the region.
 
“These limited financial resources are under the important financing needs of the community.
 
“As you know, the community budget is supplied at 85 per cent by the community levy, which is a 0.5 per cent tax imposed on goods from countries that are not members. of the CDAO.
 
“Unfortunately, the last report on the state of the community presented by the President of the Commission revealed a weak mobilisation of its resources during these last years”.
 
According to Hon. Ibrahima, community raising is perfectly reflected in the solidarity and responsibility of its respective governments, which was aimed to build a prosperous and peaceful community environment.
 
The Speaker reiterated that the meeting represented not only an opportunity for collaboration but also a moment of reflection on the strategies that member states must adopt to respond to challenges in the subregion. 
 
She further stated that the meeting is expected to address the role of the ECOWAS Parliament in the community’s budgetary process, especially against the backdrop of current challenges and realities.
 
“The goal is to allow the lawmakers to better understand the challenges related to the budget examination of the community in order to strengthen and consolidate the collaboration between the ECOWAS Parliament and other community institutions.
 
“I am convinced that our discussions on the role of ECOWAS in the elaboration and follow-up of the budget of the community will generate relevant analyses and solid recommendations to accelerate our resolution towards a community of fully integrated peoples.
 
“This will culminate in a peaceful and prosperous region with strong and respectful institutions of fundamental freedom working for a sustainable inclusive development.
 
“The index of regional integration in Africa measures to what extent the African countries in the north, the commitments they have taken in the context of various initiatives of pan-African integration, such as the African Union’s 2063 Agenda or the Abuja Treaty, relating to ECOWAS”, Ibrahima added.
 
The Speaker highlighted that Ivory Coast was the first high-performance ECOWAS member country based on certain dimensions of regional integration, namely: commercial integration, productive integration, and macroeconomic integration.
 
Speaking earlier, the Vice President of the Ivorian National Assembly, Diawara Mamadou, stated that the parliament plays an important role in the preparation of budgets both nationally and internationally.
 
He explained that for ECOWAS, where the Parliament plays a fundamental role in monitoring through budget preparation and oversight, it was pertinent for constituents to be informed on various actions regarding budgetary matters.
 
According to Mamadou, parliament is responsible for preparing and overseeing the execution of individual national budgets, so it is fundamental to understand how the community parliament examines and controls its budget.
 
“The general debate provides a platform for sharing experiences and developing proposals, enabling participants to enhance their capabilities and propose improvements to the existing mechanisms.
 
“I am therefore pleased that this relocated meeting in Abidjan addresses such an important subject as the budget,” he said.
 
Also speaking, Mrs Niali Kaba, Ivorian Minister of Economic Planning and Development, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration, Wautabouna Ouatarra, said the adoption of the ECOWAS budget marked a decisive turning point in the community’s annual life.
 
“While this budget outlines all the resources and expenditures planned for ECOWAS institutions for the year in a single document, it is primarily the financial translation of our region’s integration and development policy,” she said.
 
Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, in his remarks assured that parliament would ensure the judicious and transparently use of all funds.
 
Kalu who is also the Deputy Speaker of Nigerian House of Representatives, said this was only achievable through meaningful engagements with critical stakeholders like the ECOWAS Commission and the Administration and Finance Committee.
 
“The Parliament has a critical duty to ensure that public resources are utilised responsibly and for intended purposes by the Executives.
 
“As Representatives of the people of the region, we must champion the promotion and practice of transparency and accountability.
 
“In other words, ‘oversight’ is an indispensable parliamentary tool that should be effectively deployed to secure the accountability of the Executive to the Parliament and the citizens in general,” he said.
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Jubilation as Senator Manu links Gunduma to national grid, commissions, power project (Photos/Video)

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…provides another transformer for Emir’s Palace and environs

Finally, after 15years of blackout, Senator Manu Haruna of Taraba Central Senatorial District has officially commissioned the Gunduma Ward Electricity Power Project.

Senator Manu during the electioneering period had promised to link Gunduma to the national grid.

It’s indeed a promise well fulfilled as his constituents Jubilate.

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This marks a historic moment for the community, which has been without electricity for the past 15 years. This transformative initiative underscores Senator Manu’s commitment to addressing critical infrastructure challenges and improving the lives of his constituents.

During the commissioning ceremony, former Federal Lawmaker of Taraba Central, Senator Dahiru Bako, commended Senator Manu for his dedication and vision in delivering this essential project.

Hon. Musa Chul Member House of Assembly Gassol II,Constituency TRHA described the achievement as a monumental milestone, emphasizing its potential to significantly enhance economic activities and improve the standard of living for the residents of Gunduma Ward.

The Gunduma Ward Electricity Power Project represents a significant step towards infrastructural development in Taraba Central and reflects Senator Manu’s proactive approach to governance and service delivery.

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Manu also presented a new Transformer with specifications of 300KVA Valtage CL: 35KV and standard TS:EN60076-1 to the His Royal Highness Alhaji Justice Sani Sulaiman Duna the Emir of Mutum-Biyu for the Mutum-Biyu Environs.

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Allegations by Niger Republic attempt to incite northerners against Tinubu – Presidency

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The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, says claims by the military leader of Niger Republic, Abdourahamane Tchiani that Nigeria is colluding with France to destabilise his county are despicable propaganda.

He declared that the claims were aimed at inciting Northern Nigeria against President Bola Tinubu.

Bwala said the military leader deliberately chose a local language in the North.

The media recalls that Abdourahamane Tchiani, military leader of Niger Republic, made the claims in an interview on Wednesday.

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Tchiani, who spoke in Hausa, alleged that France is negotiating with terrorists in Nigeria to destabilise his country.

According to him, France made a substantial payment to President Bola Tinubu to establish a military base in Nigeria.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, shortly afterwards, dismissed the allegations and described them as baseless.

Reacting to the allegations in a video posted on his X page on Friday, Bwala said the claims are baseless propaganda, designed to create chaos and incite bad blood in northern Nigeria against Tinubu.

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“Yesterday I came across a video, a despicable propaganda piece by the military head of state of the Niger Republic against the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and this is what you often see with military interregnum,” he said.

“The honeymoon is over; he has not been able to address economic situations in his country; everything is turning against him, and in the desperate gasp for breath, he decided to resort to cheap false lies and propaganda against Nigeria.

“The choice of words used by the military leader is quite insultive for what his intentions are; probably in cohoot with politicians in Nigerians; you never know.

“But the whole idea is to create chaos and bad blood in Northern Nigeria against the President,” he added.

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Bwala explained Nigeria’s longstanding leadership role in West Africa and its commitment to fostering bilateral relations with neighbouring countries.

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Police deny investigating VeryDarkMan’s missing N180m NGO funds

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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has said it is not investigating the claim by online personality, Vincent Martins Otse aka VeryDarkMan’s that N180 million meant for his non-governmental organisation, NGO, has gone missing.

Vanguard reported, Friday, that VDM had alleged that over N180 million was stolen from his NGO’s account after it was hacked.

In October, Otse launched the Martins Vincent Osei Initiative, raising over N35 million in donations within hours. Shortly after, he announced receiving a N100 million contribution from music producer Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy.

Otse further explained that he had to shut down the NGO’s app for maintenance to prevent further breaches and promised to provide updates on the situation.

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VDM has in the video claimed that he had reported the matter to the police and he was also travelling to Jos because one of the hackers had been found.

According to reports, the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, clarified that the command was not involved in the matter.

She said, “The FCT Police Command has no information regarding any missing funds involving VDM, nor is there any ongoing investigation into the matter. The individual concerned should be contacted directly for details on where the case was reported, as we have no record of such a case with our command.”

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