In the wake of repeated concerns raised by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Memounatou Ibrahima, over low attendance of Members of Parliament during the ongoing Second Ordinary Session, Nigerian lawmaker Senator Osita Izunaso has defended the commitment of Nigeria’s delegation and urged structural adjustments to improve overall participation across member states.
The Speaker had expressed frustration after the Parliament consistently failed to form a quorum, even as officials from the ECOWAS Commission were present to present the 2026 budget.
She questioned why some MPs were advocating for a one-month sitting when many struggled to attend the current two-week session. Her concerns resurfaced again today when the House was unable to reconvene on time due to a similar quorum challenge.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Senator Izunazo provided a firm and positive clarification, insisting that Nigeria remains deeply committed to the work of the ECOWAS Parliament despite challenges arising from overlapping legislative schedules.
“It is not correct to say that only one or two Nigerians attend plenary,” he stated. “What is true is that members often struggle to be present at the same time because the ECOWAS session coincides with sittings of the Nigerian National Assembly. Many have bills, motions, and committee engagements they must first attend to before returning here.”
He explained that Nigeria’s sizeable 35-member delegation makes it easy for observers to focus on Nigerian attendance figures, even though other countries face similar challenges. He also revealed that gaps in information circulation contribute significantly to lawmakers missing sessions.
“There must be proper information dissemination,” Izunazo stressed. “Members sometimes do not even know when meetings are scheduled. I saw my name assigned to three or four committee meetings with no venue indicated. How am I expected to attend?”
To address this, the senator proposed the creation of a country desk system within the Parliament to ensure timely communication to all MPs, the desk officers, he said, would call, message, and track members to guarantee their participation.
“If you remove the information gap and the clash with the national parliament, Nigeria will easily record over 70% attendance,” he assured.
Izunazo, who further argued that meaningful engagement is key to keeping MPs in parliament throughout the session, recommended assigning more responsibilities to lawmakers within committees, including dividing reports so multiple members can present.
“When you know you have a report to present, you won’t go anywhere,” he said. “Engagement is the antidote to absenteeism.”
On regional security concerns, the senator also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his decisive role in stabilising the political situation in Benin Republic following the attempted coup. He emphasised that Nigeria’s security situation has improved significantly and continues to receive full government attention.
“Insecurity is not as bad as it used to be. The government has overhauled the security architecture, and the situation has sufficiently improved,” he noted, urging citizens and residents within the sub-region not to panic.
He reaffirmed that ECOWAS must continue to uphold democracy across West Africa, stressing that “democracy must grow in Africa and in the sub-region.”
Senator Izunazo restated Nigeria’s continued commitment to ECOWAS and its parliamentary processes, while urging the Parliament’s management to adopt reforms that encourage participation and strengthen regional cooperation.
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