In his goodwill message to the Members of ECOWAS Parliament
on the opening of the 2nd Ordinary Session of the 4th Legislature, the
President of the Nigerian Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki beckoned on Members of
Parliament to increase the institution’s visibility by pushing for a
full-fledged parliamentary role. According to him, “all over the world,
increasing attention is being accorded the legislature as a core institution of
democratic governance”. He urged that Members of Parliament “maintain an
intrinsic link with the citizens they represent, which is an essential
characteristic of the Parliament which gives credence to the democratic norm,
‘government of the people, by the people and for the people’”.
To this end, Saraki admonished that through collective
experience, Member States should champion various causes that will encourage
and improve the quality of life for the citizens of West Africa. He called for
poverty alleviation, noting that “with over 70% of the West African population
living below poverty line of $1 a day, civil unrest and grievances become
widespread.” Dr. Saraki also called for improved health care delivery in the
sub-region, as he berates the “lack of financial ability by nations to meet
even modest salaries of health workers” which has resulted to brain drain of
professional health care givers within the Community. He relishes the
opportunity the 2nd Ordinary Session of the 4th Legislature of ECOWAS
Parliament presents to Members of ECOWAS Parliament to develop a workable
framework, as “joint ventures between States will encourage development of
infrastructure like roads and railways”. “I enjoin you all to prioritize some
of these issues raised and set machineries in motion to restore the pride of
West Africa in the global community” he concluded.
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