The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has sought the support of the United Kingdom’s Parliament in the area of insecurity, parliamentary diplomacy, as well as political and economic prosperity in Nigeria.
He believes Nigeria remains a key player in global affairs and that its Parliament plays an important role in addressing issues through legislation.
Gbajabiamila spoke during a visit to the Speaker of the UK’s House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, in Westminster on Tuesday, saying the Nigerian House had used parliamentary diplomacy at different times and it worked.
“We intend to work in close collaboration with your Parliament,” Gbajabiamila was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Lanre Lasisi.
Stressing that Nigeria and the UK have “a rich history between them,” he emphasised the need for the parliament to come in whenever there is a government-to-government arrangement.
The speaker said the House had on different occasions intervened on the issue of xenophobia in South Africa, the dispute involving Nigerian traders in Ghana, and ensured the evacuation of Nigerian students from Ukraine recently.
“In a nutshell, it’s a noble idea that we come around to seek your collaboration,” he said. “We know you’ll buy into this and support us for the parliament to take its rightful place.”
Gbajabiamila noted that the issue of security was very important as Nigeria was grappling with insecurity challenges, adding that whatever happened to Nigeria “has a ricochet effect on other countries.”
Hoyle, in his remarks, lauded the idea of legislative diplomacy, saying he was also disposed to soft diplomacy which he said parliaments across the world should consider as a different approach.
According to him, Nigeria is a crucial country to have such diplomatic ties with. The Hoyle promised to help where necessary to speak with the officials of the British government as regards some of the issues discussed.
Credit: channelstv.com
