The ECOWAS Parliament has said it would address the issues of migration in the sub-region and the non-implementation of community protocols by member states at its first ordinary session Feb. 2018.
Speaker of the parliament, Moustapha Cissé Lo said this at the closing of the parliament’s Second Ordinary Session in Abuja on Saturday.
The speaker said that level of implementation of ECOWAS protocols in member state was worrisome and it was pertinent to address the issues.
He further said the parliament would discuss plans made to address the migration challenge in West Africa and added that Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufou would be invited to the session.
“This is because Niger is a transit route to Europe for West African migrants.
“I invite all parliamentarians to make themselves available to be effective in the first major activity of the year 2018, namely the International Forum on “Issues and Challenges of free movement and migration in space ECOWAS”.
“This activity will take place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 14 and will be followed by the first special session of the year 2018 on Feb. 16 to Feb. 22, ” he said.
The speaker recalled that the 2017 Second Ordinary Session focused on review of the ECOWAS 2018 Community budget of 284.9 Units of Account (approximately 122 billion naira).
He said that the review had been submitted to the ECOWAS Commission for consideration by the Council of Ministers.
He further said that the session also reviewed the rules of the parliament to comply with its Supplementary Act of 2016.
