The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has described the peace and democracy rebuilding process in Guinea Bissau as satisfactory and commendable.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu made the declaration at a meeting with the Interim President of Guinea Bissau, Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo in Bissau during a working visit by the ECOWAS Parliament to assess the progress of the peace and democratization process in the country.
The Speaker said: “My impression before coming on this mission was that there was general insecurity in Guinea Bissau and that people were finding it difficult to move around; that there is tension in Guinea Bissau.
“However, I am going back with a different impression which is that of a country that has finally found peace and that ECOWAS has done extremely well in Guinea Bissau”
He appealed to the people of Guinea Bissau to support the transition programme, work together as a people and with ECOWAS to resolve whatever issues were remaining.
“The ECOWAS Parliament and indeed ECOWAS will continue to support the people of Guinea Bissau to resolve all their problems and help the country achieve their potentials”, he stressed.
The Speaker who is also the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate had earlier addressed members of the National Parliament of Guinea Bissau in plenary, commending them for “standing firm for democracy when it mattered most”.
He pledged the ECOWAS Parliament’s brotherly support and solidarity to ensure that peace and democracy survived in the country.
“There is no better alternative to democracy and there is no substitute for peace, hence you can be rest assured that we will be there for you every step of the way towards the restoration of full democratic rule and peace in Guinea Bissau”, the ECOWAS Speaker emphasised.
In their separate remarks, the Interim President of Guinea Bissau, Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo and the Speaker of the National Parliament, Ibrahima Sori Djalo, commended the ECOWAS Parliament and ECOWAS in general for their solidarity and efforts at championing peace and democracy in Guinea Bissau and the rest of the West African sub-region.
President Njamadjo reiterated the commitment of the Interim Government to consolidate the peace achieved in the country through a transparent, free and fair transition process.
The Senator Ekweremadu-led delegation also held separate meetings with leaders of the opposition in the National Parliament as well as the Ministry of Integration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs during which they exchanged views on the peace and democratization process in Guinea Bissau.