By Shafa’atu Abdullahi
The Director General of Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan, has identified sinequanon conditions for achieving effective economic integration objectives in the West African Subregion
The conditions, according to the Hubert Humphrey Fellow, USA, include adopting some measures of supra-nationalism and relinquishing of some parts of national sovereignty by member states to empower regional integration institutions to make binding decisions on their behalf, and implement them fully at the national level.
Other factors according to the world renowned Law Scholar include demonstration of strong political will by member states in the enforcement of the court’s judgement as required by the Community Laws.
Professor Ladan identified these conditions while presenting a paper titled, ‘Assessing The Role, Relevance and Effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court of Justice – Relevant Benchmarks and Theoretical Perspectives’, at an ongoing 3-Day International Conference at Freetown, Sierra Leone, organized by the Abuja-based ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Professor Ladan who is a member of World Jurist Association, USA, and a member of IUCN Commission/Academy on Environmental Law, however emphasized that one thing that should be on the front burner of the Community now is fast-tracking the creation of the appellate chamber of the Court to boost community citizen’s confidence in the realization of their right to appeal against any judgement by the court they are not satisfied about.
Professor Ladan used the opportunity to call on the Honorable Court to borrow a leaf from the 2013 Study Report on the Right to Reparation in the African Human Rights system, containing some basic principles and guidelines for the ECOWAS Court of Justice to address known disparities in the quantum of awards in similar situations.
To bring the necessary cohesion in the ECCJ on Amicus curiae, Professor Ladan recommended resort to the experience of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on liberal admission of such briefs in its proceedings.