Nigeria reaffirms ECOWAS Court commitment
Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Tuesday reaffirmed the country's commitment to constructive engagement with the ECOWAS Court of Justice. During a high-level meeting with the court's President, Ricardo Gonçalves, the minister pledged Nigeria's dedication to enhancing public awareness of ECOWAS institutions, including initiatives to introduce ECOWAS Clubs in educational institutions. This aims to improve communication and coordination between the court, national governments, and domestic judicial systems. Nigeria also seeks harmonised enforcement mechanisms to ensure consistent execution of court judgments across member states. The minister acknowledged the court's role as a trailblazer in sub-regional judicial integration and expressed concern over statistics showing 52 pending judgments out of 128 cases involving Nigeria. She assured the delegation that Nigeria will transmit enforcement challenges to the Federal Ministry of Justice for review and action. Nigeria remains committed to sub-regional integration, the rule of law, and effective multilateral cooperation within ECOWAS.