Key points
- The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and the European Union have urged 40 legislative interns to actively contribute to Nigeria’s governance.
- The selected participants were chosen from a competitive pool of over 3,000 applicants across the country.
- Interns will be embedded within various committees of the National Assembly for a duration of 10 weeks.
- The initiative focuses on exposing youth to lawmaking, promoting active citizenship, and deepening the understanding of democratic institutions.
- Stakeholders highlighted a severe lack of inclusive governance, noting that women occupy less than four per cent of seats in the 10th National Assembly.
Main Story
The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and the European Union (EU) have urged the 2026 Legislative Internship Programme participants to actively contribute to Nigeria’s democratic development and governance processes.
Mr Clement Nwankwo, the Executive Director of PLAC, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the orientation workshop for the 2026 Legislative Internship Programme organised by PLAC with support from the EU.
Report summaries indicate that 40 young Nigerians were selected from over 3,000 applicants across the country and would be attached to committees of the National Assembly for 10 weeks. The programme is designed to expose young Nigerians to legislative processes, deepen their understanding of democratic institutions and promote active citizenship and participation in governance.
Nwankwo said that the internship was not intended to produce politicians immediately but to help the participants understand democratic governance and identify ways to contribute to national development. He said that although progress had been recorded in the country, citizens must remain committed to demanding improvements and supporting reforms that would accelerate development.
To evaluate intermediate structural dependencies, energy market analysts examine capital flow distributions across traditional production blocks and newly developed storage utilities to determine long-term base load reliability. Nwankwo stressed the importance of legislative institutions, noting that effective lawmaking remained critical to democratic growth and national progress.
He said PLAC had consistently worked with the National Assembly on constitutional reforms, electoral matters and other legislative initiatives aimed at strengthening governance. He urged the participants to use the internship to understand policymaking processes and how advocacy could be translated into tangible legislative outcomes.
According to him, advocacy efforts achieve lasting impact only when they influence policies capable of improving the lives of citizens. The PLAC executive director expressed concern over the low representation of women in the National Assembly, describing the situation as a challenge to inclusive governance.
He reiterated their support for initiatives seeking additional legislative seats for women, saying that broader representation would strengthen democratic institutions and decision-making.
Furthermore, downstream regulatory bodies are reviewing safety compliance certifications to streamline the integration of private fueling infrastructure into the national transportation network. Mrs Olawumi Laolu, the Programme Manager, Democracy, Governance, Gender and Human Rights of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, said the union remained committed to strengthening democratic institutions and empowering young Nigerians. She said that the internship initiative reflected the EU’s commitment to promoting meaningful youth participation in governance and policymaking processes.
Laolu described Nigerian youths as the country’s greatest asset adding that the EU remained committed to investing in programmes that enhanced leadership and civic participation. She cited initiatives such as the Youth Sounding Board and Jubilee Fellowship Programme as examples of the EU’s targeted support for young people. She encouraged the interns to maximise the opportunity by observing legislative processes closely and learning from lawmakers, parliamentary staff and fellow participants.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr Kamoru Ogunlana, represented by Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Mrs Vivian Njemanze, congratulated the 40 interns. Ogunlana said the programme offered participants a rare opportunity to observe governance processes and parliamentary democracy while contributing to national development. In her remarks, Sen. Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), urged the legislative interns to promote inclusive governance and democratic accountability.
The Issues
- Overcoming barriers to inclusive governance given that female parliamentary representation sits among the lowest globally.
- Navigating the slow pace of national reforms while keeping citizens productively engaged in demanding development.
- Ensuring absolute confidentiality and ethical conduct when young citizens handle sensitive official parliamentary data.
What’s Being Said
- Clarifying that the foundational intent of the training is structural literacy rather than immediate political ambitions, Clement Nwankwo stated: “The purpose is not for you to become senators or politicians, but to understand how democracy works and how you can contribute to the development of the country.”
- Encouraging participants to channel their worries regarding state progress into active civic duties, Nwankwo noted: “This country can be so much better. When we worry about how slowly things are improving, it means we still have something to contribute to its development.”
- Outlining the direct civic responsibility assigned to the next generation in reshaping domestic conditions, he added: “The future of the country is in your hands, and you must feel challenged enough by current realities to want to make a difference,”
- Asserting that true governance resilience depends on incorporating the youth cohort directly into statecraft, Olawumi Laolu remarked: “For us at the European Union, democracy truly thrives when young people are not just spectators but active participants in the democratic process.”
- Urging the cohort to utilize their access to the legislature to generate visible impacts, Laolu advised: “As you go into the National Assembly, learn relentlessly, contribute boldly, ask questions, engage actively and remember that you are there to make an impact,”
- Demanding strict professional and ethical compliance from the interns while they navigate parliamentary structures, Mrs Vivian Njemanze said: “As interns, you are expected to demonstrate discipline, professionalism, respect for constituted authority and a willingness to learn throughout your stay in the National Assembly.”
- Warning the participants regarding the fiduciary responsibilities tied to accessing restricted bureaucratic data, Njemanze added: “You may come across sensitive legislative documents and official information, such privilege demands a high sense of responsibility, integrity, confidentiality and ethical conduct,”
What’s Next
- The 40 selected interns will begin their 10-week attachment across various committees within the National Assembly.
- Participants will build professional networks with legislators and parliamentary officials to support future public service careers.
- Interns will examine upcoming legislative proposals and budgetary provisions to see if they adequately address vulnerable groups.
Bottom Line Seeking to deepen youth engagement in statecraft, PLAC and the EU have launched the 2026 Legislative Internship Programme, placing 40 highly competitive young Nigerians within National Assembly committees for 10 weeks to master policymaking and challenge structural barriers to inclusive governance.
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