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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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ECOWAS court president urges swift resolution of ethnic agitations
PRESIDENT of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court, Justice Hansine Donli, has called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to urgently explore means of reconciling all the ethnic groups agitating for identity within the country.
Speaking with journalists at a ceremony for the "Peace and Understanding Award" conferred on her by the Rotary Club International, Abuja to mark Nigeria's Independence anniversary, Donli said the time was ripe for the country to look beyond ethnic considerations if it must move forward, "Unity must be the focal point", she said.
"Unity should be the focal point. Nigeria now has to move beyond ethnic considerations in all that she does. We cannot afford to let the cries of ethnicity lead us into a situation that Cote d'Ivoire, Seirra-Leone and Liberia currently find themselves. If we allow such agitation to escalate, it will not bring a good image for both the country and the entire West Africa sub-region.
Earlier, three justices of the court had been decorated with Ivorien National Awards, While Justice Donli was awarded the Commander of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire by President Laurent Gbagbo in Yammousoukro (the new Ivorien Capital).
The Vice President of the court, Justice Sidibe and a member of the court, Justice Nana were each awarded the Officer of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire.
Speaking on her arrival at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja, Donli said "in Abidjan and Yammousoukro, the award and that of my colleagues symbolise the fact that Cote d'Ivoire Republic recognises the court and the competence of the court, and the importance of the court in the sub-region. They believe that the court will do a lot to bring peace to the sub-region because people easily file their cases instead of taking the laws into their hands in order to seek redress.
"We were able to discuss with the people about the ECOWAS Court of Justice and the competence of the court, how to file applications before the court and process them. We also informed them that where the parties cannot afford to be in Abuja - the seat of the court - the court would move to member states to adjudicate on the matters filed..."
On the link between the award and the ECOWAS court, she said the ECOWAS court has made efforts to ensure that individuals are allowed to come before the court. "You can see what is happening in Cote d'Ivoire, in Liberia and Sierra-Leone. That is not what we want because without peace there won't be progress, there will not be prosperity. Therefore, the court is going to allow cases from nationals and individuals to come before it to seek redress. Even where the individuals do not have the financial substance to travel to Abuja for their cases, the court would move to each member state to take maters filed before it".
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