Discourse! ECOWAS Commission:
One year after...
By IKENNA EMEWU (ikeroyal@yahoo.co.uk)
Saturday, January 12,
2008
Should we say hurray to ECOWAS, the visible intergovernmental
regional union of West Africa that has made so much impact
in its years of existence to justify the reason for its formation.
Yes, we may say hurray and happy birthday to the ECOWAS Commission
because it was last year the owners of the union, through
its central ruling body decided to upgrade ECOWAS to what
it is today.
In May this year, ECOWAS will be 33 years old. The union with
its humble beginning could be adjudged a big success considering
its commendable exploits in managing the volatile and poor
political region.
West Africa has its peculiarities in politics and economy,
and it is these exceptional qualities or shortcomings that
made the birth of the union on May 28, 1975 in Lagos expedient.
In the days ECOWAS was given birth to, West Africa had more
of economic than political problems. With some years away
from disengagement with the colonial masters, the nexus of
stable leadership was still intact in whatever form, except
in places like Nigeria where the military had already disrupted
the political process and caused so many other crises. But
the other 15 member states still had in power almost those
that battled the colonial masters for liberation who still
valued the essence of their struggle.
But some years, and in fact, in the childhood years of ECOWAS,
there arose implosions and disobedience in so many forms and
magnitude in the region. Many governments were toppled. Many
leaders assassinated, many erstwhile democratic governments
replaced by usurping military jackboots. It was a near collapse
in West Africa.
But unlike the OAU, now transformed to AU, a blind imitation
of the EEC that changed to EU, the young ECOWAS with fewer
member states and lesser financial backing rose to the challenge
of inculcating order at least to some extent. The collapse
of peace was almost total with all the member states experiencing
on form of coup or the other and sometimes repeatedly which
sometimes led to civil wars and minor unrests. Democracy and
the prevalence of the peoples’ will took flight while
those that should move the region forward were hounded into
hiding.
It is not in doubt that these calamities slowed down the achievement
and growth of ECOWAS without which it would have gone far
ahead of its present destination. The union surprisingly did
not give account of itself as a total failure although the
managers of its affairs were mainly masked dictators who knew
nothing more that brute force as means of leadership.
But when the reign and stranglehold of the dictators eased,
ECOWAS started seeing clearer, and thanks to the union for
its roles one way or another in encouraging the entrenchment
of democracy and the rule of law in West Africa and quelling
wars. The retarding effect of these strange fellows in positions
of leadership in the region and by extension policy-making
in the union caused serious friction to the progress of the
body.
That is why most of the projects and policies of the union
were hardly conclusive. Many argue that poverty was the main
reason compliance to the projected policies was abysmal, but
that might not be entirely true. The reason was corruption,
avarice and lack of the will by leaders of the member states.
As the poverty argument for non-compliance pervaded West Africa,
the same regime heads had staggering loots stashed away for
themselves. They grew richer while the states got steadily
depleted and impoverished.
It was a welcome development that in 1990, ECOWAS entered
into an agreement of a 15-year plan within which the region
will become a customs union where all the customs, tariff
and excise activities of the member states will be harmonized
to ensure efficiency, better flow of goods and services within
the region, enhance productivity and lead to a stronger and
more unified West Africa. That target expired in 2005. But
although it was not achieved in practical terms, ECOWAS did
not fail to make serious impact, at least at the policy level
to realize the goals set for itself.
In October 1999, it established the ECOWAS regional court
to look into disputes, especially in areas of human and economic
rights violations among member states. But some years after,
around 2005, the jurisdiction of the court was extended to
disputes between citizens against states, especially on human
and political rights violation.
That was an enlargement of the coasts and duties of the court,
an opportunity Dr. Jerry Ugokwe, a former member of the Nigerian
House of Representatives later exploited. In 2006, some nationals
and ethnic bodies in Cote d’Ivoire in Abuja indicated
interest in approaching the court over the violation of their
rights as groups during the political crisis in the nation.
That impetus by the ECOWAS has introduced more balm to the
festering sore of rights violation of the people of this region.
The multifarious institutions, agencies and organs of ECOWAS
are signs that the body is on track towards realizing its
objectives with time.
It is right to think that the success of ECOWAS as a body
gave rise to the declaration of the union a Commission in
January last year. By a commission, it means ECOWAS is stepping
closer to the unionization of West Africa through enhanced
free movement of goods, services and persons. It has pushed
this to a great limit through the elimination of visas among
the member states where the ECOWAS travel permit suffices
as valid travel papers. It has also commenced serious action
to reduce the stress of movement of goods within the region,
a bad and disheartening situation that even now makes over
80 percent of the volume of goods moved and used in West Africa
of non-West African origin.
ECOWAS boasts that it has taken great strides in road provision
among member states and noted sometime that: “West Africa
has completed more than 83 per cent, or 3,777 kilometres of
the coastal highway. The community is building the highways,
some of the most ambitious construction projects in the region,
under the auspices of NEPAD”.
“But landlocked countries, such as Burkina Faso, Mali
and Niger, need access to their neighbours’ ports. Such
countries pay exorbitant fees to export or import their goods.
At times, drivers have to pass through two or three countries
to get to the port and can face cumbersome procedures clearing
their goods”, it lamented to point out the existing
hitches.
The Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade noted: “We
talk about African unity, we want African unity. Meanwhile
we don’t even have adequate road systems to go from
one country to the other. Since 1960 every country has been
building roads, but today we in Senegal can’t just drive
to neighbouring Guinea”, in an attempt to capture the
shortcoming.
ECOWAS in 2006 got further impetus in leadership when Dr.
Mohammed Ibn Chambas was appointed the executive secretary.
It was in Chambas’ days that the region and its citizens
actually knew that most of the organs and institutions of
the union are in existence.
He came with his enormous diplomatic experience after an initial
appointment in public service in 1986 by the former government
of Jerry Rawlings of Ghana. His traverse through public office
in the nation, extensive travels and diplomatic duties in
21 years equipped him to bring more verve to ECOWAS. Prior
to this appointment, he had gathered ample versatility through
his study of political Science, Law and his legal practice
in USA. All these gave him enough background to take the job
of the ECOWAS head.
In his days, maybe by reason of his contributions and ability
to convince the member states, ECOWAS has attained its present
commission status. The expectation of the people of the region
is that he should take ECOWAS higher, especially now that
democracy is almost a tradition among the member states. Chambas
has the benefit of operating and piloting ECOWAS under a fairly
ambient weather, an advantage he has exploited for good.
It would be expedient to urge ECOWAS and its leadership to
adopt more pro-active steps and policies that would strengthen
the union and justify the current status and also benefit
democracy in West Africa.
It is important to suggest to the union to establish among
its various organs, agencies and institutions a platform for
the entrenchment and deepening of democracy. Let there be
an ECOWAS democracy institute where leaders and major policy
framers, including academics and other public persons would
be nominated by the union to attend courses to equip them
in democracy.
ECOWAS so far remains an elite establishment confined to the
curriculum of the educational institutions. But it is proper
and would be more result-oriented if the body adopts or introduces
an exchange programme akin to the Technical Aid Corp of Nigeria
for the training and interaction of the youths of the region.
When such establishments and others are put in place, more
of the citizens of the region will have a better knowledge
of the union and internalize the ECOWAS as its body. Through
that also ECOWAS will with time grow to a masses movement
and at such time, it would be easier to implement the objectives
of the body and achieve better results.
|
