ECOWAS Court president commends Nigerian govt for new office building

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The president of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, has commended the Federal Republic of Nigeria for providing the court with a new office accommodation.

He urged staff to see the relocation to the more congenial building later in the year as an opportunity for increased performance.
Addressing the opening of the 13th Administration and Budget retreat of the Court, the first non-judicial activity of the Court since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic Monday, the president said the new and more spacious building would provide a more congenial working environment with anticipated improvements in staff output and conduct.
Justice Asante, who was represented by the vice president, Justice Gberi-be Ouattara, said provisions had been made in the 2022 budget to accommodate the concomitant costs of the movement to the new complex.
He noted that the retreat marked the resumption of court activities after its disruption by the Covid -19 pandemic which significantly affected the working arrangement in compliance with the attendant protocol.
However, he said the outbreak had spawned some positive developments as it had enabled the Court to deploy virtual technology which had helped the Court address one of the challenges confronting the court such as improving access to citizens at a more affordable cost.
He noted that some strategic staff would be disengaging from the service of the court in 2022 after years of meritorious service and urged the relevant departments to begin the process for their replacement to ensure that their departure did not significantly affect the operations of the court in delivering its mandates and for a seamless transition.
Presenting the objectives of the retreat, the Director, Administration and Finance, Dr. William Deiyan Towah, stated that consistent with Article 11 of the Manual of Accounting Procedures, the 2022 draft budget was made of two components: administration and programs.
Moreover, he said that in compliance with Article 12 of the ECOWAS Manual of Accounting Procedures, cost estimates were solicited from the various departments/directorates, including the judges’ offices in deriving the draft budget.
He said the draft budget would be presented to allow all participants to make input and finally endorse it.
He added that the draft budget might be subjected to some modifications given that the court acted proactively in preparing the draft ahead of the issuance of the annual budget circular, which is usually issued at the end of July or in early August by the Commission.
-0- PANA  RA  29June2021