The gavel has come down hard on Nigeria, not in a courtroom, but in a diplomatic boardroom in Abuja. The ECOWAS Court of Justice has issued a stern rebuke to the regional giant, demanding immediate action on a staggering backlog of unenforced legal judgments.

Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, President of the ECOWAS Court, did not mince words during his high-stakes meeting with Nigerian officials. The revelation that 52 judgments remain pending execution is a damning indictment of the region's "big brother." It exposes a critical flaw in the West African integration project: the disconnect between supranational judicial authority and national political will. When the region's most powerful economy ignores the court, it emboldens smaller states to do the same, threatening the rule of law across the bloc.

The Enforcement Crisis

The statistics presented are sobering. Out of 128 cases instituted against Nigeria since the court's inception, nearly half remain in legal limbo. These are not abstract files; they represent citizens, businesses, and communities denied justice despite winning their cases. The "judgment-related challenges" cited are a euphemism for a systemic failure of the Nigerian enforcement mechanism to honor its treaty obligations.

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, found herself in the hot seat, pledging a renewed commitment to "constructive engagement." Her promise to establish an ECOWAS Club in educational institutions to boost awareness feels like a soft power solution to a hard power problem. The real test will be whether the Attorney General's office moves to domesticate these rulings.

• Institutional disconnect: The court identified a lack of "Competent National Authorities" designated to enforce the rulings as a primary bottleneck. Without a specific Nigerian agency tasked with execution, the judgments effectively gather dust.
• The Human Rights Angle: Many of the stalled cases involve human rights violations. The delay in compensation sends a chilling signal to victims of state abuse that regional recourse may be a dead end.

A Test of Regional Leadership

This confrontation comes as ECOWAS celebrates its 50th anniversary, a milestone shadowed by the withdrawal of the Sahel alliance states. Nigeria’s compliance is now more than a legal duty; it is a political necessity to hold the fracturing bloc together. Justice Gonçalves’ visit is a clear warning: a community built on laws cannot survive if its members pick and choose which ones to obey.

As the delegation leaves Abuja, the ball is firmly in Nigeria's court. The "practical solutions" promised by the ministry must translate into bank transfers for victims and policy changes for institutions. Anything less is a mockery of the justice system.