Ecowas Protocol on Free Movement and Human Security in Nigeria

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2022-09-03

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The treaty establishing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was signed in Lagos on the 28th of May 1975. Article 27 objective of the treaty is to establish a borderless region and common citizenship in West Africa. A key objective of the treaty is to remove obstacles affecting the protocol on the free movement of persons, residents, and establishments in the sub-region. This study seeks to identify the obstacles hindering the full implementation of the protocol. Furthermore, it also seeks to find out how ECOWAS has been able to mitigate this obstacle to achieve the objectives of this paper, the study utilized secondary data using the documentary research method. The Human Security theory was used to explain how the analysis ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of persons has affected Nigerian citizens. Findings show that their COWAS protocol on free movement is to promote regional movement of persons, trade, and economic activities, but this protocol has done more harm than good to Nigerians most especially farmers in rural communities, and this has caused serious setbacks to human security in Nigeria. The implementation of the COWAS protocol on the free movement of persons from order African countries has influenced the farmer-herders clash that Nigeria is facing. Cultural barriers, lack of education, foreign policy of member states, inadequate colonial heritage and historical antecedent economic condition of member states, and threats to national security such as that illicit drug trafficking, money laundering, violent crimes, internet fraud, human trafficking, terrorism, and the proliferation of Small Arms weapons, are the major factors hindering ECOWAS protocol the on the free movement of persons which has affected Human security in Nigeria from. It, therefore, recommends among other measures, that the Nigerian government through the ministry of Agriculture should engage the farmers in the rural community and identify the root causes that bother their Human security implementation of ECOWAS protocol and free movement of persons through the ECOWAS secretariat should be reviewed.

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The treaty establishing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was signed in Lagos on the 28th of May 1975. Article 27 objective of the treaty is to establish a borderless region and common citizenship in West Africa. A key objective of the treaty is to remove obstacles affecting the protocol on the free movement of persons, residents, and establishments in the sub-region. This study seeks to identify the obstacles hindering the full implementation of the protocol. Furthermore, it also seeks to find out how ECOWAS has been able to mitigate this obstacle to achieve the objectives of this paper, the study utilized secondary data using the documentary research method. The Human Security theory was used to explain how the analysis ECOWAS protocol on the free movement of persons has affected Nigerian citizens. Findings show that their COWAS protocol on free movement is to promote regional movement of persons, trade, and economic activities, but this protocol has done more harm than good to Nigerians most especially farmers in rural communities, and this has caused serious setbacks to human security in Nigeria. The implementation of the COWAS protocol on the free movement of persons from order African countries has influenced the farmer-herders clash that Nigeria is facing. Cultural barriers, lack of education, foreign policy of member states, inadequate colonial heritage and historical antecedent economic condition of member states, and threats to national security such as that illicit drug trafficking, money laundering, violent crimes, internet fraud, human trafficking, terrorism, and the proliferation of Small Arms weapons, are the major factors hindering ECOWAS protocol the on the free movement of persons which has affected Human security in Nigeria from. It, therefore, recommends among other measures, that the Nigerian government through the ministry of Agriculture should engage the farmers in the rural community and identify the root causes that bother their Human security implementation of ECOWAS protocol and free movement of persons through the ECOWAS secretariat should be reviewed.

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