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Parliamentarians from West and East African to Train at NILDS

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Parliamentarians from West and East African to Train at NILDS

By: Michael Mike

Lawmakers from West and East African regions are to benefit from capacity building at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by ECOWAS Parliament and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

This training is to enhance is to enhance the capacity of African parliamentarians and advance democracy on the continent.

The resolution was reached at a roundtable on Friday when a delegation of the regional bodies visited the institute in Abuja.

The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Mr Sidie Mohamed Tunis said that there should be a policy for ECOWAS member states to send their parliamentarians to the institute to build capacity.

Tunis however said that he is happy to align ECOWAS Parliament with NILDS, noting that it was better to train parliamentarians and parliamentary staff at NILDS than The National Democratic Institute (NDI) in the United States.

He said: “If we have something like this here in Nigeria, I believe it is the responsibility of us in the legislature from everywhere in the subregion to take it as our own.

“I want to confirm to you that with immediate effect, we will sign an MoU between NILDS and ECOWAS Parliament.

“We are going to ensure training of not just legislators across the sub region but also our parliamentary staff.”

Tunis added that Africa is witnessing an emergence of young people coming into the legislative field as against the usual destination, the civil service.

He said that most of the young people do not have the requisite qualifications, hence the need to build their capacity in motion bill drafting among others.

Tunis said that Africa is trying to unite and that regional bodies like the African Union must lead the initiative.

In his remarks, the Speaker of EALA, Hon. said the EALA is made up of parliamentarians from seven countries of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.

He said that his primary aim in Nigeria was to canvass support for the Speaker of Tanzania parliament, Dr. Tulia Ackson to emerge President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The EALA speaker said he was happy to learn about NILDS, adding that the job being done at NILDS was the best for Africa.

He said that the EALA will also sign an MoU with NILDS to build the capacity of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff for effective legislatures on the continent.

The Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman said that the institute was established to train legislators and parliamentary staff.

He said the reason was to support the arm of government which had suffered casualties over the years of military rule.

Sulaiman said that the mandate of the institute which is fully funded by the government of Nigeria and has autonomy, has been expanded to provide for support political parties and civil society organsiations among others.

He said that the institute has 11 departments out of which seven are academic while the other four provide support for the parliament.

The DG said that laws or policies made in ignorance and devoid of research will not stand the test of time saying that African democracy needed institutions like NILDS.

“This institute is involved in what ECOWAS parliament is doing, beyond that we want to expand our hand of friend to East African Parliaments.

“We are ready to enter into MoU with you, we are ready to work with you in any area you want us to, whether in the area of election, parliamentary administration, legislative studies and procedures, we are ready to work with you,” he said.

Welcoming the dignitaries, the Institute’s Director of Legislative Support, Edoba Omoregie, a professor and SAN, said NILDS is Nigeria’s think-tank for the country’s National Assembly and even state assemblies.

Mr Omoregie listed some of the mandate responsibilities of the institute, including drafting bills, analysing bills, provision of a wide array of legislative products, election monitoring and supervision, research and many more.

Parliamentarians from West and East African to Train at NILDS

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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