President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has canvassed political and economic ties with the government of Canada in the collective interest of the two countries.
Senator Mark said when he played host to a delegation from Canada led by the President , Canadian Parliamentary Centre Mr. Jean-Paul Ruszkowski in Abuja that such a bilateral cooperation would improve the lots of citizens of both nations.
To facilitate the cooperation, Senator Mark called for exchange programmes between the parliaments of Canada and Nigeria saying both countries need to work together for the common good of all.
He said there is so much to learn from both nations for the benefit of the citizens, pointing out that the initial toga of Nigeria being a pariah state has been abolished with the uninterrupted democracy since 1999.
” You can trust the indomitable spirit of Nigerians. Once we decide to do something, we do it with total determination and passion. So for us, there is no going back on democracy. It is a deliberate decision as the best form of government best for our nation “, Senator Mark stated.
He added that there are investment opportunities in Nigeria with a corresponding huge Market for prospective investors to explore .
Senator Mark also requested the National Institute for legislative Studies (NILS) a training wing of the National Assembly to explore avenues with global training Institutes in order to keep the Nigerian Legislators abreast with the dynamics of law making .
In his remarks, Ruszkowski pledged the cooperation of his country especially inter parliamentary cooperation including exchange of programmes.
Ruszkowski was accompanied by the Canadian Ambassador to Nigeria, Chris Cooter and the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi.
