Dispute between Nigerian lawmakers and ECOWAS over scandal of employing relatives and cronies.
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and Nigerian lawmakers are currently at each other's throats over an alleged employment scandal in the regional body.
Nigerian representatives at the parliament issued the threat when some principal officers in the regional bloc allegedly defied the directives and embarked on the process of recruiting their relatives and cronies.
While the lawmakers, led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase who is also the Leader of the Nigerian delegation and the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, had alleged that principal officials of the regional group had embarked on this scandalous process, the body accused the Nigerian lawmakers of misrepresenting facts to curry favor from voters, ahead of next year’s general elections.
The lawmakers cited the huge financial commitments Nigeria makes to the body amid its internal security challenges.
They said there was no commensurate return on investment for Nigeria in ECOWAS, listing that all the country had done and was doing for the region from its inception in 1975.
Mr Idris also said it had become imperative that Nigeria reviewed its relevance and membership of the bloc.
“If you are in a system, and you are not getting the right results, where you are investing your money, it pays best to walk out of the union". He said
The Nigerian Permanent Representative to ECOWAS also wrote to the speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, Dr Sidie Tunis, on the alleged nepotistic employment scandal rocking ECOWAS.
He has directed the immediate suspension of staff recruitment.
He has subsequently set up a panel to investigate alleged malpractices in the recruitment process.
Tunis gave the directive in a statement issued by the parliament’s Communications Division.
The suspension follows allegations by the Nigerian delegation at the parliament that the country’s candidates were being marginalized in the recruitment exercise.
The Nigerian representation to the bloc had threatened to withdraw its membership as its citizens were being marginalized at the parliament in respect of employment and promotions.
The speaker had received written complaints from the first Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase and the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the ECOWAS Commission, Amb. Musa Sani Nuhu.
According to the statement, the work of the eight-man independent Ad Hoc Investigation Committee is expected to start in August 2022 and its findings are expected to be made available to the speaker within a week
A bureau meeting will be convened immediately to consider the report for onward submission to the plenary.
The Ad hoc Committee would be headed by Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, Chairman of the Committee on Administration, Finance, and Budget.
The Terms of Reference of the Ad Hoc Committee shall be as follows: Investigate allegations of inappropriate conduct in the ongoing recruitment process at the ECOWAS Parliament; Investigate allegations of marginalization of Nigerian Candidates in the current recruitment process;
“Investigate and determine if indeed the plenary adopted any Resolution concerning the subject matter (Recruitment of Staff), using normal parliamentary procedure;
The Ad hoc Committee would be guided by the provisions of the Supplementary Act and the ECOWAS Staff Regulations.”
The leadership of the parliament has said it is devoted to upholding and protecting the rights of all citizens of the community to aspire to positions in any ECOWAS institution, in line with the provisions of the group’s staff regulations and all related protocols
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and Nigerian lawmakers are currently at each other's throats over an alleged employment scandal in the regional body.
Nigerian representatives at the parliament issued the threat when some principal officers in the regional bloc allegedly defied the directives and embarked on the process of recruiting their relatives and cronies.
While the lawmakers, led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase who is also the Leader of the Nigerian delegation and the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, had alleged that principal officials of the regional group had embarked on this scandalous process, the body accused the Nigerian lawmakers of misrepresenting facts to curry favor from voters, ahead of next year’s general elections.
The lawmakers cited the huge financial commitments Nigeria makes to the body amid its internal security challenges.
They said there was no commensurate return on investment for Nigeria in ECOWAS, listing that all the country had done and was doing for the region from its inception in 1975.
Mr Idris also said it had become imperative that Nigeria reviewed its relevance and membership of the bloc.
“If you are in a system, and you are not getting the right results, where you are investing your money, it pays best to walk out of the union". He said
The Nigerian Permanent Representative to ECOWAS also wrote to the speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, Dr Sidie Tunis, on the alleged nepotistic employment scandal rocking ECOWAS.
He has directed the immediate suspension of staff recruitment.
He has subsequently set up a panel to investigate alleged malpractices in the recruitment process.
Tunis gave the directive in a statement issued by the parliament’s Communications Division.
The suspension follows allegations by the Nigerian delegation at the parliament that the country’s candidates were being marginalized in the recruitment exercise.
The Nigerian representation to the bloc had threatened to withdraw its membership as its citizens were being marginalized at the parliament in respect of employment and promotions.
The speaker had received written complaints from the first Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase and the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the ECOWAS Commission, Amb. Musa Sani Nuhu.
According to the statement, the work of the eight-man independent Ad Hoc Investigation Committee is expected to start in August 2022 and its findings are expected to be made available to the speaker within a week
A bureau meeting will be convened immediately to consider the report for onward submission to the plenary.
The Ad hoc Committee would be headed by Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, Chairman of the Committee on Administration, Finance, and Budget.
The Terms of Reference of the Ad Hoc Committee shall be as follows: Investigate allegations of inappropriate conduct in the ongoing recruitment process at the ECOWAS Parliament; Investigate allegations of marginalization of Nigerian Candidates in the current recruitment process;
“Investigate and determine if indeed the plenary adopted any Resolution concerning the subject matter (Recruitment of Staff), using normal parliamentary procedure;
The Ad hoc Committee would be guided by the provisions of the Supplementary Act and the ECOWAS Staff Regulations.”
The leadership of the parliament has said it is devoted to upholding and protecting the rights of all citizens of the community to aspire to positions in any ECOWAS institution, in line with the provisions of the group’s staff regulations and all related protocols