2 months ago
12 ARTICLE AD
Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker of the House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has advised Nigerian youths to pay attention to details in the conduct of their affairs, to enable them to achieve excellence.
This is just as he assured that the 10th House would continue to prioritise issues affecting the youth in the country, adding that the parliament would open more channels of communication with them for the exchange of ideas on how to deepen good governance.
Abbas stated this on Wednesday at an interactive session with the third Cohort of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative, tagged “An afternoon with the Speaker.”
The LMI is a scheme that exposes select youths to the rudiments of parliamentary processes, democratic governance and leadership, initiated by the Speaker of the 9th House and current Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
Abbas urged the young participants to take full advantage of the initiative by engaging actively with mentors.
“Stick to details in the pursuit of your goals. It is unfortunate that despite the huge information available to the young ones on the internet, many of them simply fail to pay attention to details,” the Speaker said.
Answering questions on various issues from the trainees, Abbas recalled how four members of the last LMI cohort had been employed by the National Assembly, adding that more trainees would be absorbed with more opportunities.
He also said three persons living with disabilities were engaged in the chamber to interpret proceedings in sign language.
He also announced an internship programme, where 20 of the LMI alumni would be attached to critical committees of the House for exposure and real-life experience in legislative activities.
The speaker also announced that a social media platform would be created for all graduates of LMI and the leadership of the House, which would be an opportunity for interaction and exchange of ideas.
He recalled how the House had resolved to be involved in youth engagement twice yearly.
While expressing his desire for the LMI to expand in the next few years, the Speaker commended Gbajabiamila for what he termed the “noble initiative.”
He, therefore, declared an addition of 25 people to the next cohort.
“We will reflect and see how we can sponsor some LMI alumni to take some courses at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies,” the Speaker said, urging the organisers to come up with a proposal on scholarship and welfare.
He further advised them, saying, “Make sure you sustain this. Don’t lose hope. Don’t forget what you have learnt. Nobody knows tomorrow. You can be where I am, and you can be somewhere else.”
