The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament says it will adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance informed deliberation, optimised legislation, and strengthen parliamentary oversight.

The regional bloc made the remark recently at the Second 2025 Extraordinary Session which held in Port Harcourt.

The theme of the session was, “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Parliamentary Efficiency, Ethical Governance and Development in the ECOWAS Region.”

Fourth Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Mr  Billay Tunkara, while closing the session on AI efficiency, said lawmakers would deploy appropriate tools to strengthen internal regulations.

He said the AI revolution was irreversible and had become a paradigm shift, redefining the region’s economies, societies and governance.

According to him, AI had moved from the realm of science fiction to a powerful global force driving major advances across sectors.

“Therefore, the use of AI in the ECOWQS Parliament will result to informed deliberation, optimised legislation and strengthened oversight.

“It offers us the means to make our work more efficient, transparent and closer to citizens’ expectations.

“So, it is up to us, parliamentarians to appropriate these tools, to train our collaborators and to adapt our internal regulations to accommodate this new intelligence”, he said.

Meanwhile, the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom in Rivers State, HRM King Ateke Tom, has pledged support for government efforts to sustain peace in the Niger Delta.

He gave the assurance when he received a delegation of the ECOWAS Parliament, led by its Speaker, Mrs. Hadja Ibrahima, at his palace in Okochiri, Okrika Local Government Area.

Tom, a former Niger Delta agitator, said he once took up arms to draw government’s attention to the plight of people in the oil-rich region.

“The agitation brought the Federal Government’s focus to our challenges.

“It was the agitation that created the opportunity for our people to be remembered, and for Goodluck Jonathan to become President”, he said.

He stated the struggle highlighted environmental degradation, poverty, and hardship endured by the Niger Delta people despite oil profits from the land.

The traditional ruler added that he later played a key role in disarming agitators and facilitating peace in the region.

“Today, the benefit of that peace is becoming evident”, he noted.

Tom urged the ECOWAS Parliament to use its platform to advocate for the development of the Niger Delta region.

Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) Rumuolumeni, Rivers State, has been declared the state winner of the ongoing National Campus Debate 2025.

Following this victory, IAUE will represent Rivers State at the zonal face-to-face debate competition, scheduled to take place from September 15 to 22, 2025.

The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, congratulated IAUE on its achievement and wished the university continued brilliance in the next phase of the competition.

A statement from the institution’s Public Relations Office said the debate competition, which focuses on the topic “Unity in Diversity: Designing National Identity in Nigeria’s Multicultural Society”, aims to strengthen youth engagement, promote education, and foster national values and dialogue among students.

The competition offers significant rewards, with the national winner set to receive ?50 million, while the first and second runners-up will take home ?30 million and ?20 million respectively.

According to the statement, the Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Professor Ibiere Ken-Maduako,  and the Coordinator of IAUE Debate Council, who is also the Director, Ideas, Creativity, and Innovation, Professor Samuel Amaele, trained the team that made the University proud.

It furrher stated that the university’s achievement reflects its commitment to intellectual excellence, civic engagement, and nation-building.

By: Sogbeba Dokubo

The Managing Director, Rigour Edge Limited, Mr. Zeismer Evans Osi, has said the end of emergency rule and subsequent return of democratic governance in Rivers State has sparked renewed debate about the state of political peace in the state.

Osi, who said this yesterday, when he spoke in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, stated that without a genuine reconciliation between the Governor, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and his members, any move towards the realization of total peace may suffer some set back.

According to him, the dynamics of political relationships in Rivers State are starkly different from those at the federal level or other states of the Federation.

“At the national level, you see the Senate President consistently welcoming the President at the airport, symbolizing a level of cooperation and respect”, he said.

He also noted that the inability of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and his members to receive the Governor at the airport as courtesy demands was an indication of unresolved political differences in the system.

Such, he noted, further raised questions about the depth of the speculated peace in the state.

“True peace and stability can only be achieved when there is mutual respect and cooperation between the executive and legislative arms of government”, he said.

The Business tycoon further noted that the political tension between the Governor and the Assembly has been documented, thus the need to pursue genuine peace.

“As the Governor settles back to his duties, many are calling for a renewed effort to bridge the gap between the executive and legislative branches. Without such reconciliation, the prospects for genuine political peace in Rivers State remain uncertain”, he said.

Also, Evans-Osi queried the President General of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), Bright Amaewhule, over his criticism against Governor Fubara’s supporters when they went to receive him, and added that such was not in tune with modern ways of politicking.

Meanwhile, he called on all political actors in the state to consider the interest of the state for the betterment of all.

By: King Onunwor