By Seyi Babalola
The President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Leader of Nigeria’s delegation to the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly in Luanda, Angola, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has broken a 59 year old jinx by being elected into the Executive Committee of the global parliamentary body.
The last time Nigeria was elected into the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union was in 1964.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organisation of national parliaments founded in 1889, and dedicated to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue.
It has grown over its 135 years into a truly global organisation with 179 country members out of 193 countries in the world. The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world.
The 147th IPU Assembly was held in Luanda, Angola, from 21st to 27th October 2023 and hosted by the National Assembly of Angola.
The Union in the week long Assembly deliberated upon important issues affecting nations across the world and considered actions to strengthen trust between people and governance structures, to make public institutions more effective, accountable and representative, and to better equip parliaments to address the multiple interconnected geopolitical, economic and environmental crises facing the world.