As British High Commissioner to Nigeria bows out after five years, Reps Speaker commends her for a tenure of selfless service
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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has commended the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria for her selfless service and collaborative efforts with the Nigerian Parliament during her 5-year assignment in the country.
Gbajabiamila, who made the remark when he received H.E. Ms Catriona Laing and her team during a farewell visit to his office at the National Assembly on Tuesday, noted that she provided a lot of support to the House during her tenure, which he described as helpful to the parliament.
“We will miss you, Nigeria will miss you, and the Parliament will miss you,” he said.
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“It’s a bitter-sweet visit, I’ll call it. Sweet because it’s always good to have you around, and bitter because you’re going. I personally enjoyed a great working relationship with you. You and I, over time, had robust and engaging interactions. It was a very enriching time for me. I think your passion was so evident in our discussions.
My prayer is that whoever succeeds you on that trajectory will carry on with the good job.
I thank you for the interest in the work that we do here. You played a very critical role in the mentorship programme that I launched. At your age, I believe you still have so much to offer your country. We are really glad to have you around,” the Speaker added.
The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2022, which was passed and eventually signed into law is one of the bills that the British High Commission under the leadership of Ms. Laing, is said to have made contributions to.
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Earlier, Ms Laing informed the Speaker that she witnessed two election cycles in Nigeria, having resumed as the British High Commissioner to Nigeria in 2018, describing her experience in the country as wonderful.
“I’m happy to have worked with Mr. Speaker on a number of issues, and a number of bills were passed during the period. I’m sure my successor will be glad to work with you,” she added.
The British Diplomat also lauded the Speaker for his support in the area of women’s empowerment.
