In practice, is it really ECOWAS?

Having had a very terrible history of senseless tribal battles, genocides and wars for natural resources; having been taken advantage of by foreign corporations and evil slave masters; having been discriminated against and denied basic human dignities like living a want-free life, and having had our voices stifled for too long, Africans anywhere should know better than taking advantage of each other. But it seems to me that taking advantage of one's own was invented in Africa.

Just imagine an Africa where borders are so smooth that you can travel anywhere with a single passport and currency, and then pause and imagine going to Burkina Faso via Kaolack, Bamako, Bobo then Ouagadougou, and for a forty-two hour bus journey that could've been less, if not for going through at least fourteen points where a (commercialised) security check is performed. Imagine paying 5000 CFA francs in Kaolack for an uninoculated immunisation, and paying between 2000 and 5000 CFA francs at each post for no apparent reason. Imagine bailing yourself out of cuffs with 20,000 CFA francs at Mali's last checkpoint before Faramana, simply because you demanded an explanation and a receipt.

This was an experience I had over a year ago, but anytime I think about it, and having been to places beyond this continent, seen the disparity in treatment between natives of those places and those unlike them, I can't but ask myself: how can we unite the way we want it, or trade amongst ourselves if traveling to Dubai for business is easier than going to Bamako to buy Ganyila? Why can't ECOWAS and by extension AU citizens be afforded the type of privileges in Africa that citizens of EU are afforded in Europe? How can our institutions grow if one has to pay in exchange for some form of influence, or as an inducement to be afforded a service that the provider is salaried to do for you? You may say it's about security and that's essential, but won't we be risking both if we sacrifice freedom of movement like that in the name of security?