The ECOWAS Court will hold a training programme for Sierra Leone lawyers and law students on the sidelines of its 2024 international conference to deepen their knowledge of the Court and improve their practice, according to the Court’s President, Justice Edward Amoako Asante.

The president stated during a meeting with the executive of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) in Freetown on Tuesday that the resource persons for the training will be senior lawyers from the Court who will attend the conference.

He stated that the training would hopefully fill a knowledge gap in the Court among legal practitioners in the country, given that the majority of the lawyers appearing before the Court for Sierra Leone cases were from outside the country.

Justice Asante urged the leadership of the SLBA to help with the process for the successful conduct of the training, working in collaboration with other relevant bodies in the country including the leadership of the law school to streamline the participation and other elements of the training.

He announced that the President of the SLBA, Eddinia Michaela Swallow Esq., will deliver a goodwill message at the Court’s 2024 conference, which will be historic because it will be the first time the President of a country’s bar association has been permitted to do so since the inaugural conference in 2004.
Earlier, the President of the SLBA had thanked the Court for the ‘amazing opportunity,’ granted the country to host the conference describing it as the fulfilment of a dream for her and members of the legal profession in the country.

She suggested that the Court collaborate with Member State bar associations to educate lawyers about the Court’s specifics in order to improve their practice, particularly for those who may appear before the Court.
Justice Asante is leading a 12-member delegation from the Court to discuss arrangements for the successful hosting of the Court’s 2024 international conference, which is scheduled to take place between May 13th and 16th, 2024.

The conference’s theme is “Improving the role, relevance, and effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court of Justice by strengthening synergies between the Court and national stakeholders.”

The President stated that it will serve as a forum for constructive discussions about the Court’s strengths and weaknesses in its relationships with various national stakeholders, as well as practical solutions to improve the Court’s role, relevance, and effectiveness.

In order to renew the Commission’s strong relationship with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission met with Jordan’s Minister of Tourism in Amman.

This is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which has become a pilgrimage destination for Nigerians in the past three years.

Bishop Adegbite met with Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, as well as senior Ministry officials, in Amman.

The NCPC Boss used the visit to thank God for the opportunity to renew the relationship between the Ministry of Tourism and the NCPC. He also thanked God for his devotion to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which has remained one of the Middle East’s most peaceful and stable nations.

The NCPC helmsman, who is visiting Jordan for the first time since being appointed as the Commission’s fourth substantive Executive Secretary by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on January 4, 2024, revealed that Nigerians and the Christian Community are very excited about the existing cordial relationship between Jordanians and Nigerian pilgrims who have visited Jordan in the last three years.

He praised the Jordanians for their welcoming attitude towards pilgrims and encouraged them to keep up the pace.

Adegbite assured his Host that Nigerians, particularly Christians, would continue to work with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to advance the cause of Christian pilgrimage by exploring biblically significant Holy Sites.

He stated that, “In Pilgrimage, we will fulfil the life pattern of our Fathers in Faith,” and that the screening of intending pilgrims is typically handled by government professionals to ensure that all pilgrims return to Nigeria after the spiritual exercise.

Bishop Adegbite arranged for the collaboration of relevant Jordanian government agencies to consider the need to upgrade such sites as Jesus Christ’s baptismal site in the Jordan River, the Jabok River, and others to international status with serious religious appeal.

He also advocated for the retraining of their tour guides to ensure effective service delivery, as well as assisting in the deployment of better bus service equipped with modern communication gadgets, which could be achieved through an interface between the Jordanian government and the Ground Handlers.

Speaking, Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Ministry’s Secretary General, Dr. Emad Hijazeen, thanked the Executive Secretary for his first official visit to the Ministry since taking office on February 5, 2024.

He also congratulated him on his appointment by Nigeria’s President, while promising the cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and assuring him that all concerns raised for improved Pilgrimage operations would be promptly addressed.

He maintained that Jordanians are at ease with Nigerian pilgrims and that the government will do everything possible to strengthen the two countries’ bilateral relations.

This is stated in a press release signed by Celestine Toruka, Deputy Director and Head of Media and Public Relations for the Commission.

Mr Abdullah Shawesh, Ambassador of Palestine to Nigeria, has appealed to the international community to assist in the rescue of thousands of people who may still be trapped in Gaza after Israel’s prolonged attack on the city.

Addressing the media about Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza, the envoy stated that since 13,000 Palestinians are reportedly missing in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s siege, many of them may still be under the debris, whether alive or dead.

He stated: “Urgent international action is required to establish special mechanisms and specialised teams to remove debris from homes and buildings bombed by Israel’s army, rescue those trapped alive beneath the rubble, and retrieve the thousands of dead bodies stuck beneath it.”

He noted that: “13,000 Palestinian are reportedly missing in the Gaza Strip.”

Also, the Palestinian Ambassador stated that the current damage to critical infrastructure is in the region of $18.5 billion.

Shawesh who was quoting the World Bank and the UN joint report said that the amount is equivalent to 97% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He noted that more than a million people are homeless, while 75 percent of the population is I.

He stated that the majority of the population does not have access to health facilities because 84% of the country’s health facilities have been destroyed.
The education sector has collapsed, with all children out of school.

Shawesh said as at 12 April 2024, no fewer than 33,634 Palestinian had been killed and at least 76,214 wounded in the Gaza Strip.

He said over 462 Palestinian were also killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

He added that as of Tuesday, April 9, 8,165 Palestinians had been detained since October 7, including 272 women, 500 children, and 66 journalists, 45 of whom were still under arrest and 24 sentenced to administrative detention.  I