WoldStage– Honorable Abbas Tajudeen, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has expressed the desire to leave behind the House as a parliament that is more open, confident, and people-centred.
He gave the assurance during an interactive session with the Fourth Cohort of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) themed “A Session with the Speaker in Abuja on Friday.
He also declared that the 10th House takes issues that affect young Nigerians seriously, saying it has been reflected in the legislative activities of the parliament.
In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Musa Abdullahi Krishi on Saturday, he recalled that the LMI was initiated in 2022 by Speaker Abbas’ predecessor, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is the current Chief of Staff to the President.
At the session, Speaker Abbas said: “The 10th House takes young people seriously. You will find this reflected in our legislative work: from the reform of the Students Loan Act, which now gives young Nigerians a clearer path to higher education, to proposals to strengthen technical skills, apprenticeships, and entrepreneurship.
“We are building a legislative environment that recognises your energy, your frustration, your ambition, and your right to a future that is not defined by obstacles.
“Still, no law can substitute for personal discipline. No policy can substitute for courage. Institutions depend not only on the rules written in law but also on the character of the people who run them. That is where you come in.”
He noted that the fellowship provides the cohorts with knowledge, networks, and a practical understanding of governance, adding, “But the real test comes afterward when you encounter the temptations, the shortcuts, the pressures, and the loneliness that serious leadership sometimes demands.
“You will need the ability to disagree respectfully, the strength to defend a principle when it is easier to abandon it, and the humility to keep learning even when people call you an expert. These are not fashionable virtues, yet they are the ones that hold democracies together. Nigeria needs young people who can think rigorously, speak honestly, and act responsibly.”
Abbas reiterated that the parliament is not only a place of laws and debate but also a place where futures are shaped.
“The House of Representatives is at its best when it gathers people who believe that public service still matters and that integrity is not an outdated virtue,” he said.
The Speaker recalled that Gbajabiamila, who initiated the LMI, “saw clearly that no parliament can renew itself without deliberately building the next generation.”
Speaker Abbas added that Gbajabiamila’s vision was simple: “Bring young Nigerians into the engine room of lawmaking, let them see power up close, and let them understand how democracy actually works.” He stressed that the vision remains important, and I am committed to sustaining it.
“Institutions become stronger when each generation passes on something better than what it received. I intend to hand over a parliament that is more open, more confident, and more people-centred,” the Speaker stated.
He also recalled that before politics, he was a classroom teacher. He said, “Teaching never leaves a person. It teaches patience, curiosity, and the habit of continuous learning. It teaches you to look at people and see potential before you see limitations. Those habits have followed me into parliament. They shape how I listen, how I lead, and how I engage with younger Nigerians who remind us sometimes loudly that the country must do better.”
The Speaker pointed out that the future of Nigeria “will not be shaped only by people with titles. It will be shaped by women and men who understand how institutions function and have the courage to support them when they come under strain.”
He stressed that it is the deeper purpose of the LMI: to “raise young people who can strengthen democracy from within.”
The Speaker added: “My commitment to you today is simple. As Speaker, my door remains open. The House of Representatives will continue to support this programme and integrate your ideas where they serve the public interest. You are not visitors here; you are members of a growing family of young Nigerians who believe that public service is still a noble undertaking.”
During the interactive session, the LMI fellows asked questions on leadership and governance, legislative efforts aimed at addressing some of the nation’s challenges, interventions geared towards harnessing the potential of the teeming young population in the country, etcetera, which the Speaker responded to.
