Nigeria not bound by AU decision on ICC

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama has said that Nigeria is not bound by the decision of African Union to collectively pull out from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Onyeama spoke yesterday while briefing Journalists in Abuja on the outcome of the AU summit.

He explained that being a sovereign state, Nigeria and every other county has a right to opt out of the AU’s collective decision.

The minister said Nigeria had made known it’s observation while the issues was being discussed at the last AU Head of Government summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He said majority of the countries supported the pull out but Nigeria and some few others also expressed their rejection of the decision.

The minister said Nigeria was against AU position because we believe that ICC should have the jurisdiction.

He added that “it will be to our advantage if Africa leaders can be accountable.”

On the one election of Nigeria into the AU Commission, Onyeama said this has not in any way reduced the influence of the country in the content.

He however noted that the country has learnt the lesson on the need to decide very early on what it wanted.

Also, as part of the efforts to ensure the development of the continent, the minister said AU has decided to set up African free trade area to promote trading amongst member nations.

Another decision reached by AU, according to the minister, was the setting up of a committee headed by President Paul Kigame of Rwanda.

The committee, he said, is to work on the reform of the AU.

Also, AU has adopted a new means of  financing it’s activities.

Onyeama said AU has adopted the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) formula of 0.2 per cent of eligible import of member countries.