ECOWAS Court urges civil societies to help enforce judgments

The ECOWAS Court has called on the civil society in Nigeria to help enforce its judgments in the country.

The President of the ECOWAS Court, Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, made the call while speaking at the closing ceremony of the Court’s bilateral meeting with the Competent National Authority (CNA) and other stakeholders in Nigeria on Wednesday, regarding the status of enforcement of the court’s judgments.

While lamenting that Nigeria had enforced only 10 judgments out of the 66 cases decided by the ECOWAS Court since its inception in 2001, he stated that civil society plays a central role in the enforcement of this Court’s decisions.

“Enforcement is not merely an administrative matter; it is also a matter of civic monitoring, strategic and responsible advocacy, public awareness, and constructive, law-based engagement. “Civil society organisations can monitor the status of enforcement of judgments by producing credible and independent periodic reports; raise awareness among national authorities of the need to comply with the court’s decisions; integrate enforcement of the court’s judgments into their legislative and administrative reform agendas; promote responsible strategic litigation aimed not only at obtaining judgments but at ensuring their effective implementation; and educate citizens on the value of community justice and the legal significance of enforcement,” Gonçalves said.

According to him, in modern times, civil society serves as the bridge between judicial decisions and their practical realisation, adding that, “When a judgment is not enforced, it is not only the Court that is affected — it is the citizen who remains without remedy.”

He stressed that Nigeria has sufficient institutional capacity, legal tradition, and civic vitality to become a regional example in the enforcement of ECOWAS Court’s decisions.

“I am convinced that by working together — public institutions and civil society — we can transform current challenges into a historic opportunity to strengthen regional justice,” the ECOWAS President said.

Speaking with journalists, Mr Yusuf Danmadami, ECOWAS Court’s Acting Registrar, Appeals, Arbitration & Enforcement, said non-enforcement of the judgments of the court affects the integrity of the court.

He said the court would come up with a comprehensive plan on how to move all issues raised during the meeting forward.

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