By Gift Chapi Odekina
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has commended the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Catriona Laing, for her selfless service and collaborative efforts with the Nigerian Parliament during her 5-year assignment in the country.
Gbajabiamila said during her term, Ms. Catriona provided a lot of support to the House, which he said was helpful to the Parliament.
The Speaker, who received Ms. Catriona and her team during a farewell visit to his office at the National Assembly on Tuesday, described the meeting as “bittersweet.”
“We will miss you, Nigeria will miss you, and the Parliament will miss you,” Gbajabiamila said.
He added that, “It’s a bittersweet 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.”
One of the bills that the High Commission contributed to, was the Electoral Act (Amendment Bill 2022), which was passed and was eventually signed into law.
Earlier, Ms. Catriona told the Speaker that she witnessed two election cycles in Nigeria, having resumed as the British High Commissioner to Nigeria in 2018. She described 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.”
The outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria also lauded the speaker for his support for women’s empowerment.
