The President of Nigeria’s Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has described the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), as Nigeria’s Cambridge and Harvard Universities.
Akpabio, who made the comparison at the permanent site of the Institute in Abuja, said the infrastructure and conducive environment provided for teaching and learning were akin to what were obtainable in Cambridge, Harvard and other top rated Universities in the world .
“The Institute’s impressive facilities, vision and focus, make it a very significant potential contributor to Nigerian democracy.
“With this infrastructure, Nigerians no longer need to travel overseas for legislative training. This is our own Cambridge and Harvard”, he said .
Akpabio was accompanied on the visit by the leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong and Senator Adetokunbo Abiru.
At the event, the Director General of NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, unveiled NILDS’ latest publication, “25 Years of Democracy and Development in Nigeria,” which features a foreword by the President of the Senate.
The publication chronicles Nigeria’s democratic journey and development since 1999.
In a similar development, the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt. Hon. Maimounatou Ibrahima visited NILDS to seek the institute’s assistance in the capacity development of parliamentarians and their support staff.
The Director-General, Sulaiman assured her of the Institute’s readiness to provide its services to the ECOWAS Parliament, emphasizing their commitment to the advancement and overall well-being of the sub-region.