Akpabio, Kalu, Others In Geneva For 148th IPU Meeting

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Friday, arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, as head of Nigeria’s delegation to the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Akpabio was accompanied on the trip by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, and Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong.

The Senate president and his entourage were received on arrival at the airport in Geneva, by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Abiodun Richards Adejola, accompanied by South African Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Mxolisi Nkosi.

This year’s edition, according to a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Senate President, Jackson Udom, would take place from March 23 to 27, 2024.

A letter addressed to the Nigerian Senate President and endorsed by the Secretary General of the IPU, Martin Chungong, reads, among others: “Dear Mr President, the 148th Assembly of the IPU and related meetings will be held at the International Conference Centre of Geneva, (ICCG) Switzerland from Saturday, 23rd to Wednesday, 27th March, 2024.

“We are pleased to enclose detailed information on these meetings including the Agendas of the IPU statutory bodies. We very much hope that your parliament will be represented at the 148th Assembly and that the delegation under your leadership will take an active part in the proceedings.”

At the last edition of the IPU, which held in Luanda, Angola, Nigeria broke a 59-year-old jinx when Akpabio was elected into the Executive Committee of the global parliamentary body. The last time Nigeria had the privilege to be in the Executive Committee of IPU was in 1964.

The IPU, global organisation of national parliaments, was founded in 1889, and dedicated to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue. It has grown into a truly global organization with 179-member countries out of 193 countries of the world.

Akpabio was also on March 7, 2024, nominated by the African Parliamentary Union (APU) into the Preparatory Committee for the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament of the IPU.

The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world.