ECOWAS Speaker Meets Nigerien President, Discusses Parliament Direct Election, Regional Integration & ECO Single Currency
Speaker Tunis and his delegation met with the President of the Republic of Niger
Speaker of the regional ECOWAS Parliament Rt Hon. Dr Sidie Mohamed Tunis has today Friday 19th November 2021 met with the President of the Republic of Niger, His Excellency Mohamed Bazoum.
The meeting which is geared towards soliciting support for the Direct Elections of Members into the ECOWAS Parliament, saw the Speaker Tunis and his delegation warmly received at the Presidential Palace in the capital city Niamey.
During the meeting, the two leaders spoke about a range of issued regarding regional integration, Eco Currency and the thematic area of Direct Election into ECOWAS Parliament.
In his remarks, the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament Honourable Tunis said their mission in Niamey is to advocate for direct representation into the regional parliament. He said that ECOWAS Parliament is pleased with the advice given to them by the President of the Republic of Niger. “We discussed on the single currency which is also very important in the area of integration,” Honourable Tunis disclosed, adding that as a parliament they will work with all stakeholders to ensure they move towards single currency in the ECOWAS region.
The Speaker further delved into the issue of direct election into ECOWAS Parliament and the difficulties that may ensued with that.
Assuring the ECOWAS Parliament delegation, President Mohamed Bazoum welcomed the idea and said the evolution of the ECO and regional integration are key factors that are tied into the achieving of direct elections into ECOWAS Parliament.
Meanwhile, it could be recalled that on Tuesday 16th November 2021, the ECOWAS Parliament Speaker led a delegation of the ECOWAS Parliament, comprising Members of the Ad-hoc Committee on study for Direct Elections of Members into the ECOWAS Parliament to Niamey, Republic of Niger, with the intention to hold discussions with the Chief Advocate and Assistant Chief Advocate for the direct elections of Members into the ECOWAS Parliament, as well as provide an opportunity for the Advocates and Stakeholders to brainstorm on its attainment.
The ongoing meetings also sensitize the Nigerien Authorities on the mode of election and facilitate deliberations on the strategy to have it achieved. Thus, the meeting with President Mohamed Bazoum is one of the high-level engagements undertaken by the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament after earlier meeting with the Nigerien Foreign Minister and the Speaker of Nigerien National Assembly.
