Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has tasked the committee saddled with the responsibility of hosting the 51st Commonwealth Parliamentary Association(CPA), African region conference, to be mindful of the nation’s international image.
According to the Speaker, with parliamentarians from about 80 countries expected to converge on Nigeria in July, the country could not afford to fail in showcasing the positive side of Nigeria to the outside world.
The Speaker spoke on Tuesday at the National Assembly, while inaugurating the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 51st CPA African region conference where he emphasised that the event had provided an opportunity for Nigeria to tell its own story, even as he advised the members of the LOC to make the country proud.
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He said: “Being one of the biggest parliamentary conferences in the world, we cannot fail or fall short of the standard expected of the numero uno country in Africa.
“This conference is bound to project us positively or otherwise and that is a reason why you have to dedicate your time to the project from now till then because we cannot afford to fail.
“We believe in your capacity to deliver and that is why you are carefully selected based on your integrity. You have the buy-in of all relevant stakeholders and that is another reason you cannot afford to fail.”
Responding on behalf of the members, committee chairman, also the Chairman, House Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Malam Zakariya’u Galadima, thanked the Speaker for his confidence on the members for being selected for the project.
While assuring the Speaker of the committee’s determination to make a success of its assignment by organising a world-class conference, the lawmaker said the committee would not let the National Assembly and Nigeria down.
