The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Ricardo Gonçalves, has expressed concern that a large majority of the court’s rulings remain unenforced in Nigeria, estimating non-compliance at about 80 percent.
He made the remarks during a courtesy visit in Abuja to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, where he sought stronger judicial backing for the implementation of the regional court’s decisions. Gonçalves attributed the situation largely to insufficient political will and urged Nigeria to lead by example, arguing that improved compliance by Africa’s most populous nation could encourage other ECOWAS member states to follow suit.
In response, the Chief Justice acknowledged the court’s significant contributions to human rights protection across the sub-region but noted that enforcement of judgments primarily falls under the executive arm of government.
She encouraged the development of clearer procedural guidelines to support implementation and called for broader consultations with stakeholders to refine enforcement mechanisms.
The meeting, which included justices of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, comes amid past tensions, including remarks by Nigeria’s Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi, who previously argued that some ECOWAS Court rulings were difficult to execute and advocated alternative dispute resolution approaches within the bloc.
