By Ragan M. Conteh
Speaker Of parliament, Dr Abass Bundu has shared his leadership experience with parliamentarians while he was Secretary-General of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS).
The post of Secretary-General which he held years back was later re-named President of the commission, and his achievements are already well known in Africa.
ECOWAS was formed in 1975 to improve trade and to strengthen security in the sub-region. He served the sub-regional bloc for five years and left enduring legacies. He however left the state when time was up although he was asked to stay on.
Apart from being part of ECOMOG (ECOWAS Monitoring Group) which liberated Liberia from her civil war in the 1990s, he left, at least, two enduring legacies which to this day stand as a testament of his stewardship in ECOWAS.
“I raised the profile of ECOWAS to a level never before attained within West Africa and in the wider international community and pioneered the revision and modernisation of the original ECOWAS Treaty of 1975 which was succeeded and replaced by the Revised Treaty of ECOWAS, 1993,” He recounted.
ECOWAS Heads of States, he went on, were impressed with his leadership that the then Nigerian Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida asked him to stay on for another term of office although it was not Sierra Leone’s turn.
In his address to parliamentarians, he made it clear that his duty was to serve with deep loyalty and commitment.
“I am not a lover of the glamour of high office nor am I mesmerised by it. When I serve in any office, high or low, my principle has been to give my all, backed by superior intellect, experience, consistency and steadfastness, honesty and results,” he made a clean breast of himself.
He also describes himself as a man of humble pedigree driven solely by an ambition to deliver service and to leave a legacy worthy of emulation.
The Speaker also stated that the qualities he displayed while he was ECOWAS Secretary-General were also shown back home as Speaker of Parliament.
“The drive to serve has again been laid bare for all to see since I assumed the role of Speaker of the Fifth Parliament in 2018, and my achievements speak eloquently for themselves,” he asserted.
In spite of the comfort and exploits of office of the ECOWAS Secretary-General, he left the seat in 1993 owing to age.
“When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could barely recognise myself. From a sweet innocent-looking youth of 40 years with jet black hair when I assumed office as Executive Secretary in 1988, the rigors and pressures of office quickly turned my hair silver and the blackness of my hair has never ever returned,” he narrated his leadership experiences to parliamentarians.
To look back at past experiences, he said, did not any mean arrogance or pomposity but a mere demonstration of humility driven solely by an ambition to serve humanity.