ECOWAS PROTOCOLS. What is that? perhaps if you've never attempted traveling across the West African economic community region, you would assume that nationals/citizens from member states enjoy freedom of movement and economic activities across the boarders without restrictions provided you have a valid passport.
At least, that is the ordinary 'mis -understanding' of a man in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Senegal, etc. etc whose traveling experience is limited to local geography. And perhaps, it was with this 'misunderstanding' that an old friend of mine who was traveling from Ghana to Nigeria -hoping to enjoy some ECOWAS PROTOCOLS- got disappointed.
As he walked in a queue at a Nigeria-Cameroon boarder, my friend saw from a distance that the Nigerian custom officer received a bribe from each traveler before approving passage. The Togolese nationals in the queue paid the bribes without qualms. Likewise, the Cameroonians. Apparently, these West African nationals did not pay attention to the essence of the ECOWAS PROTOCOLS or simply didn't take interest in it's benefits. Perhaps, they know better. It was not the same with my Ghananian friend. Haven studied political science at the university of Ghana, and who also prides himself as a Pan-Africanist, my compatriot had a good 'misunderstanding' on the politics of regional integration.
Not surprisingly, my friend did not budget for the bribe to the Nigerian boarder patrol officer.He knew that ECOWAS PROTOCOLS have eliminated that. He was wrong. As he walked closer to the officer, he took out his Ghanaian passport without the bribe. The officer asked him to 'repackage' his document before handing it over to him. He had a stern face indicating his seriousness in his demands. My friend remained adamant. He was double sure that as a citizen of ECOWAS, he was not entitled to pay bribe.
It turns out that both my Ghanaian friend and the Nigerian boarder patrol officer had separate and totally different understanding of the ECOWAS PROTOCOLS. The Nigerian officer was getting inpatient with my friend's delay and/or impudence. My Ghanaian friend finally decided to school the Nigerian custom officer on what the PROTOCOL requires of him at the boarder. He said, 'My brother, am from Ghana, a member of ECOWAS. I should be allowed to pass freely without paying bribe under the ECOWAS PROTOCOLS'. He was hoping to convince this corrupted custom officer, to go without paying a bribe with a lecture on Protocols.
The Nigerian custom officer was the least amused by the long talk of ECOWAS PROTOCOLS. He demanded for the last time to have his bribe adding 'Oga, abi Obasanjo and Rawlings wey them do Ecowas protocol...me and you no get any Ecowas protocols. Na bribe you go pay'. My Ghanaian friend gave up immediately noticing that ECOWAS PROTOCOLS was a simple rhetoric that has yet to be practical- at least at the Nigeria-Cameroon boarder.According to the Nigerian custom officer, the protocols are limited to the leaders- not the peoples of West Africa.
Travel and see.
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