The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, has called for more engagements between the Nigerian National Assembly and the German Parliament also known as the Bundestag.

The Speaker made the call in Abuja when the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, paid a courtesy call at his office.

Dr Abbas also urged Germany to emulate the United Kingdom in the advancement and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.

Speaker Abbas said, “I want to appreciate the long-standing and historical relationship between Nigeria and Germany, which spans more than 60 years. To the best of my knowledge, it has been a mutually beneficial relationship. Both the German and Nigerian governments have benefitted immensely from the relationship. I am proud to say that in Africa today, we are one of the major partners of Germany in diplomatic relationship.

“We believe this can be further exploited in the future, and there are so many other areas that we can look into, to deepen our relationship with you. In due course, we will highlight some of those areas of economic advantage to both Germany and Nigeria.

Speaker Abbas also disclosed that the House had concluded work on the formation of 40 international friendship groups out of which Germany is one of the key countries, that would have members of the Nigerian Legislature engaging with their counterparts in Germany and other countries.

While also addressing another issue raised by Ambassador Günther on women in governance and politics, Speaker Abbas noted that more members of the House were now interested in enabling more women in the parliament.

The German Ambassador to Nigeria Ambassador Mrs Annett Günther, said the visit is to lay a new foundation” for the partnership between Germany and Nigeria, especially with the recent change of government in the West African country.

She added that beyond bilateral relations, Germany has provided humanitarian assistance to Nigeria, especially concerning the security crises in the North-East and the North-West of the country.