Sequel to the emergence of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu as the New ECOWAS Chairman, Hon. Aliyu Gebi a former member of the Nigerian Federal House of Representatives as well as former chairman House Committee on Internal Security in the federal house and deputy chairman of the Committee on Trade, Customs and Free Movement of Persons at the ECOWAS Parliament took to his official Twitter handle
(@alouibrahim92) to proffer workable Internal Security strategies for President Tinubu to hit the ground running as the new helmsman of ECOWAS. The thread on social media is as stated below.
“Now is the time to revisit some of the ECOWAS Protocols especially the one about Free Movement of Peoples, Goods and Service. Also the Protocol on Transhumance as well ask why Nigerians are treated poorly in some ECOWAS States. “We as a nation, must re-examine our relationship with our neighbors & articulate a clear policy of engagement from Security to the Economy and the general political stability of the Region. An unstable Sahel makes for an insecure Nigeria. A secure Nigeria means a prosperous Sahel”
“Now should also be the time to start moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of Peoples. Also it is pertinent for the Political Bloc to begin to look towards the Harmonization of National Security Strategies into a solid, stable and comprehensive Regional Security Strategy” “The financial burden that Nigeria shoulders for and on behalf of ECOWAS member states, should be reflected in our National Foreign Policy and must be reflected in our presence in the sub-continent.” “Also our migration policies must be re-examined and citizenship of the ECOWAS region not only clearly articulated, defined, adopted and implemented but also ratified and reinforced by National parliaments so as to ensure equity across the board.”
“Finally, now is the time for the ECOWAS Parliament to move from a ‘ceremonial’ one to a fully functioning one with oversight functions over the ECOWAS Commission. Thereby Membership of the Parliament becomes by universal suffrage not by secondment from National parliaments.”
