Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Tuesday could not agree on whom to select as the new President of the ECOWAS Commission to replace Ambassador James Victor Gbeho. The position has been zoned to either Burkina Faso or Republic of Benin.
Briefing journalists after the meeting at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja Tuesday, the current ECOWAS Commission President, Gbeho, said the chairman of the body would hold further consultations with the two countries before any announcement could be made about where the position would go.
An ad hoc committee headed by Sierra Leonean President Bai Ernest Koroma had been constituted in March 2011 to draw up modalities for the smooth exchange and distribution of offices among member states of the regional body.
Koroma submitted the committee’s report Tuesday and it was deliberated upon.
According to Gbeho, “The meeting today received the report prepared by the ad hoc committee that deliberated about it. The Heads of State in particular deliberated on the principles enunciated in that report that should guide ECOWAS in determining the positions in the commission for an equitable, transparent and predictable basis.
“In that respect, they accepted all the principles that were enunciated by the committee as well as the recommendations made as to which post should go to which country. They agreed on all except the position of President of the ECOWAS Commission because there was difficulty in agreeing as to whether to give it to the Republic of Benin or to Burkina Faso. So the chairman of the authority will hold talks with the president of the two countries with a view to breaking the logjam that has developed.
“He has to do it this way because you know that Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso unfortunately could not attend today’s meeting and therefore before a final decision is made on that. The chairman wants to satisfy himself that he has consulted the two of them totally before announcing what will be the results.
“I will then go on to enumerate for you the countries that will handle the leadership of ECOWAS as soon as the new commissioners are candidly appointed. The post of vice-president will go to the Republic of Liberia; the rest of the post of commissioners will be as follows: Macro-economic policy will go to Mali; Political Affairs, Peace and Security will go to Nigeria; Agriculture, Environment, Water Resources will go to Togo; Administration and Finance will go to Sierra Leone; Customs, Trade, Industry and Free Movement will go to Niger; Infrastructure will go to The Gambia; and as you know, Senegal will continue to occupy the position of Human Development and gender until 2012 and therefore there will be no change as far as that position is concerned.”
He said the countries where the post of commissioners had been zoned to would forward three candidates each; the candidates would be interviewed and those who are successful would be presented for screening.
In what appeared as a move to placate some members who have been grumbling for their not being given positions in the commission, he said that a review of the duties of the commissioners would be made with a view to unburdening those who were saddled with too many responsibilities.
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