The Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Nigerian Bar Association, on Monday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on law reforms, with the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, noting the importance of collaboration between public institutions and the private sector.

Gbajabiamila said partnerships between public and private institutions were bound to promote good governance and sustainable development.

The Speaker said this during the signing of the MoU, with the National President of the NBA, Olumide Akpata, leading the association’s team.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, titled, ‘Gbajabiamila, NBA strengthen collaboration with MoU on law reforms,’ quoted the Speaker as saying the collaboration between the two bodies since the inception of the 9th House had witnessed positive results in the passage of some critical laws in the country.

He said, “This is basically the formalisation of something that’s already working. The signing of the MoU may seem symbolic, but I see it beyond that. I see it as a way of deepening our democracy and developing the country, which we all so passionately love.

“Contrary to what a lot of people think, I always believe that governance is about collaboration; it’s about everybody. It is not about politicians alone; it is about everybody; so, we have got to maximise our efforts and potential to achieve bolder, bigger and better things for this country.

“For me, this is a critical collaboration between two very important sectors. This is a public-private partnership between the legislature and the NBA.

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I’m glad that law reform is a core mandate of the NBA, and for us too, law reform is part of our core mandate. When we repeal laws and amend laws; we are reforming laws. It is gratifying to know that we actually have a shared mandate, but what we do with that shared mandate is what will determine how far we can take this.”

Gbajabiamila commended the leadership of the association and what it had been doing for the profession, while emphasising the commitment, speed and diligence with which it worked and collaborated with the House on police and electoral law reforms, among others.

“I don’t think there’s been a time that the legislature and the NBA have worked so seamlessly together towards making Nigeria a better place,” he noted.