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ECOWAS Parliament ready to discuss 2020 Draft Budget, Condemn Xenophobic Attack

 Ifeanyi Valentine, Monrovia

The 2nd Extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament has opened in Monrovia, capital of Liberia with Speaker, Rt. Honourable Moustapha Cisse Lo expressing readiness of Parliament to discuss the 2020 budget of the Community.

Speaker Cisse Lo who gave the indication in his opening address said the agenda of the extra ordinary session was to adopt Parliament's draft Budget, for 2020 financial year, as well as the revision of Rule 13 of the Rules of Procedure of the Fourth Parliament devoted to the Inaugural Session.

He said that in accordance with the Parliament Rules of Procedure, and in the light of the budget circular of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Mr. Jean Claude Kassi BROU, an Ad-Hoc Committee was set up to prepare a preliminary draft of Parliament's Budget for the year 2020.

“The Report of the said Ad Hoc Committee was transmitted and examined by the Bureau of Parliament at its last meeting, held here in Monrovia.  Parliament's competent committee, in particular the Administration, Finance and Budget Control Committee, after approval by Parliament, will be seized of the file and will report to the Plenary;  

“The ECOWAS Parliament, during this session, will endeavour in accordance with its Rules of Procedure, to examine and adopt the said Draft Budget. It is therefore this task that we will be working on during this session” Cisse Lo stated.

He continued, “This is an opportunity for each of us, honourable colleagues, to impose a rigorous discipline on ourselves in order to examine the preliminary draft Budget 2020 carefully and objectively. I remain convinced that we will be diligent and punctual, so that the full treatment of our agenda can be accomplished under good and fruitful conditions” Speaker added.

Similarly, in his opening remark, Speaker Cisse Lo condemned the Xenophobic attack on Nigerians in South Africa, as it constitute real threats and serious issues, and has stand as obstacles to the African integration that is so dear to Parliament and to which they are resolutely committed.

“At the time of our session, serious events are taking place on our continent and should be given special attention. Indeed, in South Africa, in recent weeks, we have witnessed an upsurge in extremely violent xenophobic acts. These sad images of Africa, these painful events and the tensions they generate challenge us as elected representatives of our peoples. We are extremely concerned and deeply outraged” He said.

Furthermore, the Speaker on behalf of ECOWAS Parliament, expressed compassion for the victims and their families and strongly condemned these barbaric, inappropriate acts with disastrous humanitarian, socio-economic and diplomatic consequences.

“The ECOWAS Parliament calls on the South African authorities to assume their responsibility by guaranteeing all their foreign nationals the right to life, physical integrity and free movement. We also call on all African States and the African Union to adopt diligent initiatives to restore peace and security and ensure a return to calm in South Africa and all other States;

“In the same vein, the closure of the Nigerian borders with Benin more than a month ago and Niger more recently is a hindrance to the achievement of the Community's main objective, which is to achieve the creation of a prosperous, borderless West African region where peace and harmony prevail". Cisse Lo highlighted.  

He added that the border closure poses a threat to the implementation of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons at a time when we need to intensify our efforts for the effective abolition of barriers within the Community.

“The ECOWAS Parliament calls for compliance with Community provisions and thus calls for the reopening of borders and a coordinated fight against smuggling in the region;

“The root causes of this recurrent situation must be studied with a view to finding a permanent solution” Cisse Lo concluded.




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