…Tasks management to extend frontiers to ECOWAS, other political parties
The National Assembly has pledged its full support for The Progressive Institute (TPI), a training centre established by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to equip young Nigerians with leadership and democratic governance skills.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, made the commitment when he received the Director-General of the Institute, Dr. Lanre Adebayo, and his team during a courtesy visit to his office on Tuesday.
Barau, who commended the vision behind the institute, said he had long hoped for such an initiative in Nigeria, having personally benefited from a similar experience provided by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of the United States more than two decades ago.
He said, “I was one of those that witnessed the unveiling of the Institute. And I’m one of the admirers and supporters of this Institute and what it stands for. I am doing this wholeheartedly for several reasons.
“One of the reasons, of course, is that I’m a beneficiary of a similar Institute from a foreign land. And since I went for a training programme at that Institute, I’ve been praying that we have a similar body in Nigeria.
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“So, when I heard the news through the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje) that this Institute was coming on board, I was delighted.”
Barau recalled that shortly after he was first elected into the House of Representatives in 1999, at the dawn of the Fourth Republic, he and other lawmakers were trained by the NDI on legislative processes.
“There was a long period of time that we didn’t have a legislature in this country because of military rule. So almost everything about legislative conduct and procedure had been forgotten. The NDI came and taught us, in a classroom style, how to function in the legislature and conduct ourselves. We gained a lot from that training,” he said.
He noted that the intensive training received by the lawmakers at the time significantly contributed to the effectiveness of the Fourth National Assembly.
The Deputy Senate President also urged the Institute’s management to broaden its impact by engaging with other political parties and extending its reach across West Africa.
“I thank God I am the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. So I want to plead that you extend your tentacles beyond the confines of this country. Try to reach out to us. Even though we have different ideologies and parties, you will be very useful to the ECOWAS Parliament,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, Dr. Adebayo said the Institute was established to strengthen Nigeria’s political landscape by building the capacity of leaders and aspiring public servants in governance, policy development, and democratic principles.
He noted that the Institute’s vision is inclusive and not limited to members of the APC, and it aims to be a credible platform for political development in Nigeria and the West African region.
