Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has urged that more power should be delegated to the region’s parliament so as to perform effectively.

Ekweremadu made this call in Abidjan, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, at the opening of the meeting of ECOWAS Attorneys-General and Ministers of Justice which is considering the Draft Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament.

According to a release from the office of the Senator, who also doubled as the Nigeria’s deputy Senate President, he was quoted thus, “the enhancement of the powers the Community Parliament is certainly not aimed at competing with the national parliaments of member States or sister organizations and organs within the ECOWAS family, but simply the powers to enable the parliament to serve the Community better, deeper, and more meaningfully.”

He listed the specific powers sought by the Community Parliament as powers to co-legislate with Council of Minister on all matters relating to ECOWAS Economic and Monetary Integration policies, exercise budgetary functions jointly with the Council of Ministers, and consider Supplementary Acts before their adoption by the Authority of the ECOWAS Community.

Others are powers of Mandatory Assent in specified areas such as the confirmation of statutory appointees, Mandatory Referral in specified areas, parliamentary oversight functions over the activities of the organs of the Community and powers to consider any matter concerning the Community, especially on particular issues relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The ongoing meeting is being chaired by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, Mr. Gnenena Nanadou Coulibaly.