3 hours ago
6
ABUJA – Former Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has been elected as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL).
This is contained in a statement signed by Levinus Nwabughiogu, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Also, Dapo Oyewole, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on International Cooperation, emerged as the newly elected Secretary-General of the body.
The election of these officials took place during the 2nd General Assembly meeting of CoSPAL held on Saturday in Accra, Ghana, a gathering that saw the participation of over 100 key figures, including 15 speakers and presidents of national legislatures, 30 deputy speakers, clerks, and support staff representing parliaments from across Africa.
Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Bagbin, who presided over CoSPAL’s inaugural session in 2020, was re-elected as chair of the forum, underscoring his commitment to advancing legislative cooperation across Africa.
Established in 2020, CoSPAL unites speakers and presidents from 54 African countries, serving as a forum to enhance inter-parliamentary deliberation and foster joint action to address challenges affecting the continent’s democratic development.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Nigeria’s Deputy Speaker, represented Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD, at the event. Kalu highlighted Nigeria’s readiness to contribute to CoSPAL’s leadership by advocating for two of the five slots reserved for West African representatives in the advisory and audit committees. CoSPAL’s constitution allocates five vice-chair positions, each representing one of Africa’s sub-regions: East, West, Central, North, and Southern Africa.
As a founding speaker and first chair of CoSPAL, Gbajabiamila’s election to the advisory committee marks a continued influence within the forum. His election comes as CoSPAL advances efforts to consolidate gains made during the first General Assembly by strengthening unity and collaboration among African legislatures.
Kalu also made several key recommendations during the constitutional amendment session. He proposed introducing a performance review mechanism in Article 10 to ensure the Secretariat’s efficiency and transparency. In Article 16, he advocated an appeal process for membership terminations. Furthermore, Kalu called for clarity in Article 17, seeking a precise definition of “exceptional circumstances” in the interpretive clauses. His recommendations were voted on and adopted by the assembly.
The newly elected officials are scheduled to be inaugurated on Sunday, the conference’s final day.
