Tag: ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed Dr. Dike Chuks Ebubedike as Youth Ambassador. 

Dike was also awarded the prestigious Nelson Mandela Leadership Award of Excellence and Integrity on July 10.

The West African Youth Council announced the appointment in an official letter, recognising Dr. Dike’s dedication, hard work, and diligence in service to humanity.

The regional body praised Dr. Dike as a relentless advocate for the development of African youth and expressed optimism that his recognition by ECOWAS would further solidify his efforts.

At the event, popular Nigerian comedian Owen Osemwengie, known as Owen Gee and a United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace, stated that the Youth Council created the leadership award to honor youths who have distinguished themselves in various capacities and professions in West Africa. 

He noted that the Council awarded Dr. Dike the EYC Ambassador Leadership Award of Excellence due to his representation of young people in the health and wellness sector.

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In his acceptance speech, Dr. Dike expressed his gratitude and emphasized the opportunity to promote health and wellness. 

He highlighted the disturbing reality that many suffer from curable ailments and some die due to a lack of awareness.

He said: “I have had cause to treat a lot of patients without taking a KOBO from them.”

He described the honour as a morale booster for him and promised the ECOWAS Youth Council to be a worthy ambassador at all levels, both in the local and international community. 

Dike Chuks Ebubedike is a health wellness enthusiast and a physical therapist with a budding niche for pain eradication. 

He is the MD of Heaven clinic therapy home which specializes in managing muscle, bone, pain, joints, and nerve pain, especially in children with birth disorders and growth delays and senior citizens with arthritis. 

His passion for community service has seen him embarking on projects like ‘walk for health’ which is a project to encourage a healthy system with long walks for adults and also the ‘Older People’s Day’, a day meant for the celebration of senior citizens, 60 years and above which is held quarterly and involves free health checkups, entertainment, health talks, and networking. 

His passion for community projects and services has seen him embarking on the ‘Water is Life’ project where he has constructed boreholes for clean pipe-borne water for various communities in eastern Nigeria.

• From Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

Sub-Saharan Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is pooling $38 million to lift Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in member states, ECOWAS Chairman President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said yesterday.

He spoke of plans by the region body to extend the grant to Mauritania, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and Cameroon through commercial and financial institutions.

Tinubu also said that additional N140 million will be provided to support solar SMEs.

The Nigerian leader spoke at the Sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union (AU)in Accra, Ghana, where he showcased the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) landmarks achievements over the past years.

He said: “To achieve sustainable electricity access within the ECOWAS and Sahel countries, we will provide a total grant of $38 million to SMEs in member states. An additional loan of $140 million will also be made available to the solar SMEs.

“Within the period under review, ECOWAS has supported experts from member states in international meetings and negotiations on environmental issues, including environmental governance. We provided support to our members in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the establishment of a regional carbon market.

“With respect to food security, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved the instruments to operationalize the Regional Fund for Agriculture and Food (RFAF). A regional food security was developed to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.

“Furthermore, our support for pastoralism in the Sahel has targeted the improvement of animal health, with a record vaccination of over 490 million livestock. We have established common rules for controlling veterinary medicine products at borders.

“In addition, ECOWAS launched a project for Member States to access the Green Climate Fund. This will promote climate-smart agriculture through the use of technologies.”

President Tinubu highlighted ECOWAS’ support for six-member state in ratifying the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Fisheries Subsidies Agreement and 13-member state in ratifying the AfCFTA agreement.

He also announced the operationalisation of the ECOWAS interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) in 12-member states, streamlining regional trade.

On the battle against terrorism, Tinubu confirmed the receipt of $4 million support by member states under the ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Humanitarian Response.

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The ECOWAS chair also highlighted progress in education, including the establishment of the West African Network of National Academies of Sciences and the African Forum for Research and Innovation, as well as the regional Academic Mobility Scheme.

On health, Tinubu noted ECOWAS’ continued support for women with obstetric fistula, empowerment of women entrepreneurs in agribusiness, and focus on gender equality in education and the green economy.

A statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted him as saying that ECOWAS has allocated $9 million to assist persons of concern, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.

On energy, mines and agriculture, President Tinubu said ECOWAS is advancing electrification efforts in The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mali through the ECOWAS-Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOREAP).

“It is also implementing the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP). Thirty-two Solar Off-Grid SMEs have been approved, including nine SMEs led by women. A total of $3 million will be disbursed to finance the SMEs. More than 400 SMEs in 13 countries were trained in 2023 and 2024.

On other ECOWAS institutions, President Tinubu stated that the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament elected its first female President, “the Right Honourable Maimunatu Ibrahim from Togo”, and that the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice reviewed 15 new cases, held thirty-three court sessions, and delivered eleven judgments.

However, the President admitted that the bloc faces multiple threats, including withdrawal of member states, geopolitical rivalries, terrorism, food insecurity, climate change, and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

He said ECOWAS will continue to dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to maintain unity and will convene a Special Extra-ordinary Summit on the future of the Community.

The statement added: “Finally, Your Excellences, I am happy to report that the ECOWAS Commission has assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Inter-REC platform since February. Earlier, the ECOWAS Commission hosted the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to exchange views on various issues and review best practices.

“We will continue to collaborate with all AU regional communities and mechanisms in order to strengthen our continental integration,” the president concluded.

On the margins of the AU meeting, Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

President Guelleh emphasized the importance of Nigeria’s role as a leader in West Africa and the continent.

He appealed for Nigeria’s support on development concerns and common challenges in his country.

President Tinubu and President Guelleh agreed to continue to work together to advance bilateral interests.

ECOWAS Court of Justice has struck out a suit by Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA) and Prof Bola Akinterinwa on the sanction imposed on Niger following a military takeover.

Justices Edward Asante, Dupe Atoki and Sengu Koroma held that events have overtaken the suit as sanctions imposed on the country have been lifted by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The suit was filed last August 8 by EMA, professor of international relations, Akinterinwa and a lawyer, Nuhu Dantani, who claimed to have relatives in Nigeria and Niger.

The suit was filed through their lawyer, Olukayode Ajulo (SAN).

Ifunanya Okeke and Emmanuel Patrick appeared for the applicants.

ECOWAS, the Authority of Heads of State and Government, ECOWAS Commission President, Nigeria and Niger were the respondents.

Mustapha Abubakar and Oluwarotimi Ibitoye from Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, appeared for the first to third respondents. There was no appearance for the fourth and fifth.

Okeke identified all processes filed on behalf of the applicants, including the originating application and motions for an interim measure, expedited procedure, hearing date and discontinuance.

She asked for the court’s leave to move her application for discontinuance.

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The lawyer informed the court that the originating application was based on the sanction imposed on Niger by ECOWAS following the July 26, 2023 coup.

Okeke said the discontinuance was because events had overtaken the live issues raised in the suit.

She said the electricity supply that was cut off from Niger has been restored and the restriction on freedom of movement lifted.

The first to third respondents did not object to the application and did not ask for costs.

Consequently, the court struck out the matter.

The plaintiffs had challenged the sanctions imposed on Niger, arguing also that any military intervention would be unlawful and amount to a violation of relevant international laws.

To force the restoration of democratic order in Niger, Nigeria cut off electricity supply to the neighbouring country as one of the sanctions.

But, ECOWAS on February 24, lifted the sanctions, including border closures, freezing of central bank and state assets, and suspension of commercial transactions with immediate effect.

It said this was done for humanitarian reasons.

The ECOWAS Community Court has held that the Nigerian government violated the rights of three Nigerians during the 2020 EndSARS protest at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos.

The court made the pronouncement in a unanimous judgment of its three-member panel on a fundamental rights enforcement suit by the three Nigerians – Obianuju Catherine Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka.

In the judgment delivered on Wednesday by Justice Koroma Mohamed Sengu, the court found Nigeria in breach of Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, particularly in relation to the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, duty of the state to investigate, and the right to effective remedy.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, stated that Udeh, Kamsi and Adeyinka had alleged, in their suit that these violations have occurred during the peaceful protests at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State on October 20 and 21, 2020.

The court, however, dismissed the applicants’ allegation that the right to life, as guaranteed under Article 4 of the ACPHR, was also violated.

It ordered Nigeria to pay each of the applicants N2million as compensation for the violation of their rights to security of person, prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, duty to investigate human rights violations, and right to effective remedy.

The statement further reads: “Additionally, the respondent (Nigeria) must adhere to its obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, investigate and prosecute its agents responsible for these violations, and report to the court within six months on the measures taken to implement this judgment.

“The applicants alleged that during the peaceful protests against the SARS Unit of the Nigerian Police Force at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos State, on October 20 and 21, 2020, the Respondent committed several human rights violations.

“Triggered by the alleged killing of Daniel Chibuike, the protests aimed to address police harassment and brutality.

“The first applicant’s claims include that the soldiers shot protesters, resulting in deaths and injuries, which she live-streamed, subsequently receiving threatening phone calls that forced her into hiding and eventual asylum.

“The second applicant, responsible for protesters’ welfare, describes how soldiers began shooting after a power cut, leading to her hospitalisation due to police tear gas.

“The third applicant recounted narrowly escaping being shot, observing the refusal of ambulance entry by soldiers, and later witnessing inadequate hospital care for victims.

“She argued that she and her colleagues took over the victims’ care and she faced ongoing threats and surveillance, believed to be by respondent’s agents.

“The applicants sought declaratory reliefs and compensation from the Court for these violations.

“The respondent denied all claims made by the applicants, asserting that the protesters unlawfully assembled at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, under the guise of protesting against SARS.

“The respondent also maintained that its agents followed strict rules of engagement and did not shoot or kill protesters.

“It argued that the first applicant incited the crowd by playing music and using her Instagram page to stir disaffection against law enforcement, who were targeting escapee members of Boko Haram and bandits.

“The respondent contended that the second applicant’s provision of logistics and welfare support indicated her support for the violent protest.

“It claimed that soldiers were present to restore peace until the police arrived, denying any harm inflicted on protesters and the refusal of ambulance access.

“The respondent also denied that the third applicant’s presence was peaceful, asserting it was meant to escalate violence.

“It argued that the treatment and care of the injured were managed by the Lagos State government and submits that the applicants have not provided credible evidence to support their claims, or the reliefs sought.

“In its judgment, the court found there was no violation of the right to life as the applicants filed their claims in vitam.

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“However, the court held that several articles of the ACHPR were breached by the respondent, which occasioned fundamental breaches of human rights violation therein.

“Furthermore, the court declared that the applicants were denied the right to an effective remedy.

“The court ordered that the respondent make reparations to the applicants for the violation of their fundamental human rights.

“Also on the three-member panel were Honourable Justices Dupe Atoki, presiding, and Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves.”