Ex-interns and current interns of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre’s (PLAC) Legislative Internship Programme came together for their maiden alumni convening in Abuja, on Wednesday, 23rd November 2022. PLAC Legislative Internship Programme commenced in 2013 and held annually through 2015 with the then United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). It resumed in 2018 with European Union funding support and has continued since then, with the 2022 internship currently on-going. The programme is currently in its eighth cycle. The Alumni Convening was organised with support from the European Union in Nigeria under its Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (SDGN) project. The EU has been supporting the internship programme since 2018.
In his remarks at the Convening, Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director of PLAC, noted that the experience of the internship programme has moulded the political perspective of youths who have passed through the programme, with a view to working to achieve a better Nigeria.
Clerk of the Nigerian Senate, Chinedu Akubueze delivered a goodwill message in which he stated that the internship programme is an opportunity for young Nigerians to drive a positive narrative of the National Assembly. Programme Manager at the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Laolu Olawumi was present at the event. She encouraged the participants to get involved in politics and reiterated the EU’s support for youth political participation in Nigeria.
A panel discussion held, featuring one intern from each of the past cohorts, discussing the topic, ‘Using the Legislative Internship to Create Synergy for Strategic National Development.’ The past interns shared their internship experiences and how these have shaped the trajectory of their career and their contributions towards community development. They also shared ideas on how to maximise the experience of the internship programme for future cohorts, as well as how to strengthen the programme’s alumni network.