The newly appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi Wadada, has assured Nigerians that the committee has resolved the internal challenges that previously affected its operations and is now set to intensify efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s legislative diplomacy through deeper engagement with regional and international parliamentary institutions.
Speaking with journalists after a closed-door executive session of the committee, Senator Wadada said members had candidly reviewed the issues hindering the committee’s effectiveness and unanimously agreed on practical measures to address them.
“I feel concerned about it, but when we got into the details of it in a closed-door meeting, we have to know where the problem or the problems are, and they will all be taken care of. The committee will be as active as it should always be,” he said.
The chairman explained that under his leadership, the committee would focus squarely on its constitutional and statutory responsibilities of promoting stronger legislative cooperation between Nigeria’s National Assembly and parliamentary institutions across Africa and the wider international community.
He said the committee would deepen collaboration with key parliamentary organisations, including the ECOWAS Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and other global legislative bodies to advance parliamentary diplomacy, democratic governance, and legislative best practices.
“The direction is basically around and about the responsibilities of the committee, which is, of course, to promote and deepen legislative relationship within Nigeria and other legislative bodies around the world, like the ECOWAS Parliament, African Parliament, I mean, IPU, and the rest of them. That’s it,” he stated.
Senator Wadada disclosed that the executive session primarily focused on developing a comprehensive work plan that would guide the committee’s activities in the months ahead.
“There is nothing other than the fact that a new work plan has been drawn and we shall go by it. As events unfold, you will be notified of the activities that we shall be embarking upon,” he said.
As part of its immediate agenda, the committee chairman announced plans to pay a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament in Nigeria, describing the engagement as the first step towards revitalising regional parliamentary cooperation.
“Our first immediate plan is to have a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament here in Nigeria,” he added.
The renewed commitment by the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs underscores its determination to reposition Nigeria’s parliamentary diplomacy by fostering stronger partnerships with regional and global legislative institutions, promoting legislative exchanges, and enhancing international cooperation in support of democratic governance.
