Senate President Senator Godswill Akpiabio has been elected into the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Mr Anietie Ekong, his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, said this in a statement in Abuja. Ekong said that Akpabio was elected by delegates across the world to emerge as an executive committee member of the global parliamentary union for a three-year mandate.
Anietie said Akpabio, who led Nigeria’s delegation to the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly in Luanda, Angola, broke a 59-year-old jinx with his election into the executive committee of the global parliamentary body. He said the last time a Nigerian was elected into the executive committee of the parliamentary union was in 1964.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the 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 worldwide.
The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development worldwide.
The 147th IPU Assembly was held in Luanda, Angola, from 21st to 27th October 2023 and hosted by the National Assembly of Angola,” he said.
Anietie said the union, in the week-long assembly, deliberated on essential issues affecting nations worldwide and considered actions to strengthen trust between people and governance structures.
He said the deliberations were designed to make public institutions more effective, accountable and representative to better equip parliaments to address multiple geo-political, economic and environmental crises facing the world.