The first Ghanaian deputy speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Michael Teye Nyaunu, has stated that citizens of the Community would only feel the impact of the institution when its lawmakers are elected to make laws that would be binding on the West African sub-region.
According to the former deputy speaker of the third Community parliament, during their time they initiated the process of electing lawmakers and lamented the ineffectiveness of the Parliament because MPs are not elected to the parliament but rather nominated by National parliaments of member states.
“We are saying for the impact of the Parliament, we should zone the countries in the sub-region for elections to be conducted so that ECOWAS MPs come as full-time MPs and whatever we do would be binding on our respective member states, for now, the parliament is advisory despite its powers being enhanced, whatever they do is not binding on member states”, he said in an interview.
“Again, he pointed out that within the sub-region there are military takeovers and confusion and some of these things can be stopped when Community laws are passed for it to be binding on member states.”
He added that sub-region member states would be more serious and cannot be disobeying laws and the sub-region would be like the European Union (EU).
“Just to take you back with the common currency, ECO then candidate Akufo-Addo said he would let it work, I told myself you alone cannot make it work. it is just propaganda, the ECO should evolve through all the member states.”
Source: Mypublisher24.com/Kwaku Sakyi-Danso
