The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has harped on the need for legislative exchange programmes between the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria.
He made the call on Thursday while receiving in courtesy, the Ambassador of Ireland, Peter Ryan, and his entourage in his office in Abuja.
Akpabio, while receiving the Irish Envoy and his team, recounted the robust relationship he had had with a former Irish Ambassador when he was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007-2015.
A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, quoted the Senate President, as saying, “Let me on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria welcome you and your team here. I congratulate you also for the peace in Ireland.
“We have a lot to learn and gain from Ireland because we operate the same bicameral legislature. It would be good if we worked together for the mutual benefit of the two countries. We can learn a lot through the exchange of parliamentary ideas and programmes to build capacity for our lawmakers.
“We also need a lot of assistance from Ireland in the area of funding. The President Ahmed Tinubu-led administration is doing a lot in the area of security, but we still need international support. It would be a pleasant thing if we worked together in the area of lawmaking, bill drafting, and oversight. I believe by the time we are 50 years in democracy, other nations will also come to learn from us.”
Earlier in his speech, Ryan noted that the Irish government was very fortunate to have Nigerians resident in Ireland, who are contributing their quota to the development of the two countries.
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