House of Reps Reaffirm Collaboration with Development Partners on Capacity Building

From Lateef Taiwo

The House of Representatives has reaffirmed it readiness to partner with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP,and other development partners in the country to improve the capacity of the members of the legislature and staff.

Speaker of the House Hon.Tajudeen Abbas gave the assurance on Monday ,during the unveiling of the Parliamentary Development Programme, a policy document of the House in collaboration with some critical development partners.

He said that the House will continue to promote continuous partnership with the reputable development partners for capacity building of the legislators and other staff of the institution.

The Speaker who was represented by his deputy Hon Benjamin Kalu further stated that the policy document presents a comprehensive blueprint on the capacity building of the House on training and capacity building on legislative activities

He lamented that there is high turn-over of members of the legislature after general elections in Nigeria and noted that the key issue is bordering on the capacity of the legislators.

He said: “We must invest in human capacity development. This involves not only formal training but a deep understanding of the issues facing the nation.

“The high turn-over of legislators after every election demands greater capacity building for the legislators.

“This document presents a comprehensive document on the trainings and capacity development needs of the House”.

The Speaker who appreciated the development partners for their individual roles in the capacity development of the legislative institution assured that the House would continue to I invest in human capital development

Earlier in his remarks, the Lead Consultant to the House of the policy document Prof Victor Adetula said said that the legislature has decided to play a very critical role in national development.

He said that the policy document is work in progress adding that as development partners, they want to get involved in national development discourse.

Other development partners as Konrad Adeneur Stiftung, KAS, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Order Paper Advocacy Initiative and other organizations
pledged to continue to partner with the House in capacity building of the members of the House.