Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Maduekwe, has said that it was high time all ECOWAS states proved they could tackle the obtacles  to the free movement of persons and goods within the region.

Maduekwe made this call in his remarks on the 63rd ordinary session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja at the weekend.According to him, it is unfortunate that after 30 years, the implementation of the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of persons, good and services still pose a very big challenge. Also, the Right of Residence and Establishment is still a matter of serious concern in virtually all the border posts.

"To achieve our vision of an ECOWAS of peoples by 2020, this protocol, in my view, is one of the key pillars that will pave the way to achieving this vision", he said.

There are other daunting challenges in the area of food, energy, global financial crisis and most importantly, the effects of climate change, the minister stated.

These developments, he said, necessitated the need to re-energise the integration process in the sub-region.

While the issue of climate change is one of the most demanding for now, Maduekwe called on member states to endeavour to attend the forthcoming convention on climate change slated for next month in Copenhagen Denmark.

On the issue of peace and security, the minister stated that there has been relative calm but lamented the development in Niger Republic which led to the country's suspension from ECOWAS due to unconstitutional acts which were contrary to the ECOWAS supplementary protocol on democracy and good governance.

He, however, reiterated Nigeria's commitment to assisting both Niger and Guinea to restore constitutional order in the two countries in the nearest future.

The President of ECOWAS, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chmabas, in his own remarks, said that the ordinary session was coming on the heels of the global financial crisis.

The president, noted that the consequences of the crisis on the economy of the sub-region requires further strengthening of the regional integration process through co-ordinated  and consistent response strategies.