By Sofia Adenekan-Abdul
The European Union has expressed readiness to deepen its partnership with Nigeria’s parliament after the 2027 general elections, with a focus on legislative capacity, security-sector oversight, digital governance and stronger inter-parliamentary relations.
Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, stated this during a visit to the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja on Thursday.
Mignot said the EU had several ongoing projects with the National Assembly that would continue into the next year, including support for democratic governance and technical assistance in legislation and regulation.
He noted that the EU is closely following the elections to assess the political composition, leadership of the next Senate and House of Representatives as well as determine areas for continued cooperation.
Mignot said the EU want to sustain the engagement with the next National Assembly, stressing the importance of inter-parliamentary relations in strengthening democratic institutions.
Responding, the Director-General of NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, urged the EU to support stronger and continuous capacity building for lawmakers, particularly in view of the high turnover experienced after elections.
Professor Sulaiman said the loss of experienced lawmakers often means that parliament has to rebuild institutional knowledge and skills after every election, making continuous training, research and legislative support essential.
He urged the EU to work with NILDS on programmes that would strengthen parliamentary leadership, promote gender and youth inclusion as well as improve lawmakers’ capacity to perform their legislative and oversight responsibilities.
The Director-General also identified security-sector oversight as a major area requiring stronger parliamentary capacity, saying lawmakers need the skills and tools to effectively scrutinise security agencies, policies and the use of public funds.
He stated that NILDS is working with international partners to develop a standardised toolkit for parliamentary oversight of the security sector, which could guide lawmakers in assessing threats and engaging security agencies.
Professor Sulaiman further called for stronger cooperation with the European Parliament on artificial intelligence and digital transformation, stressing that digital tools could help parliaments sustain legislative and oversight activities during emergencies.
He assured that NILDS had the facilities and expertise required to support expanded cooperation with the EU, adding that stronger partnerships would help build the capacity of democratic institutions in Nigeria and across West Africa.
