By Olayinka Sotayo
The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) is an institution established to promote member states’ trade, security, welfare, etc. Such benefits involve member states sharing responsibilities in funding, staffing, and management.
However, it was discovered that Nigeria, as a major financier of the regional body, has never tapped into all the benefits accruable to its participation and membership as a nation.
The scheming against Nigeria is not only from Francophone countries. It’s common with other countries as well, including the anglophone nations.
Firstly, Nigeria as a nation has not been maximally benefiting from staffing at ECOWAS.
Opportunities for recruitment are usually offered to other smaller countries, which in their capacities have never measured up to Nigeria’s support to ECOWAS.
Most often, staffing privileges are denied Nigerians who have headed units, departments, or even acted in the capacity of positions to be recruited for, and are suddenly eliminated after interviews for those respective positions, while smaller nations with meager financial contributions are offered the jobs.
Nigerians with intellectual capacities are always disenfranchised when it comes to positioning.
While Nigerian leaders who have been playing a “Big Brother” role to the West African community should not look away from these anomalies, it should be noted that accruable benefits should be harnessed in line with Nigeria’s status in the community of member states. It is also crucial for Nigeria to redefine her membership with management and positioning as a major stakeholder in the West African body.
Institutions under the body like the ECOWAS Commission, Parliament, Court of Justice, have usually almost worked against Nigerian citizens for promotion opportunities. Discoveries show instances of foreigners who, despite scoring far lower than intellectually qualified Nigerians during interviews, are given jobs for which they lack relevant requisite knowledge or expertise.
When any victim approaches the permanent secretary, they are denied a hearing unless they hold a director position within the commission, leading one to wonder if only a director’s voice can be heard. It was also discovered among staffing victims that they are treated as orphans in an institution where their country is a major stakeholder.
Statutory officers who are political appointees presented by their member States, Out of the Present seven statutory positions, Nigeria has a commissioner in charge of Internal Services, He sits in meetings but does not have voting rights during staff interviews.
Nigeria is at a disservice here. Nigerian should have more voices to harness and reap from their huge investments in ECOWAS.
Hence all statutory positions are always decided on by the council of ministers and are mandatorily made open to member States.
The Secretary General of ECOWAS parliament position is open now. Nigeria is urged to ensure that one of her citizens is scheduled for this office.
It is disheartening to see some Anglophone countries joining Francophone countries to disenfranchise Nigeria and monopolize top offices within the commission.
The attention of Mr. President is drawn to these issues for onward directives and actions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that the noted anomalies in staffing and the standing status of Nigeria as an outstanding stakeholder in the community of states at ECOWAS are constructively addressed. Moving forward, Nigeria should begin to take her rightful position in ECOWAS as a nation that has heavily invested in the West African community states. Disenfranchised by other ECOWAS member countries.
Staffing privileges denied to Nigerians who have acted in positions advertised for several years are often disenfranchised when it comes to positioning and staffing at ECOWAS
among other member states when it comes to staffing.
The trend of disenfranchising Nigerians in promotion and recruitment opportunities obtains in all ECOWAS institutions, such as the Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice
Most times the Nigerian mission (foreign affairs) barely understands or take their time to understand. Often the foreign affairs desk will insist on only staff members from position of director can see the minister statutory officers (political appointees) include only one Nigerian commissioner who has no voting rights (not career officers)
The position of Secretary General of ECOWAS Parliament is currently open. It is highly advisable for Nigeria to ask for this position with voting rights to compensate for the non voting-right commissioner it currently has
It is disheartening joining other countries.
Nigeria could ask for the process to be halted and see how it can be returned back to its former or original statutory status
It should indicate interest in the position to back up the non-voting rights commissioner of internal services.
• Sotayo, a media analyst lives in Abuja
