I would like to start by welcoming you all to Abuja, especially our friends who have travelled from the various States and Local Governments and even from outside the country, to join us at this Summit. I am equally delighted and honoured to have been invited to deliver the keynote paper and by so doing set the tone for our discussion on effective management of political representation and constituency relations and intervention services in Nigeria.
2. The essence of representative democracy and government is that the people elect persons to represent their interests and their views. They also generally surrender their security and welfare to those representatives in trust. It is a well-known fact that the legislature in Nigeria and indeed all over the world performs the functions of law making, representation and oversight of government activities. The law making function is not controversial. It is basic to every legislative institution. Oversight activities of parliament has also become commonplace in Nigeria as a result of the activism of the National Assembly in recent years. It is the representational function of the Legislature that has not been adequately understood by Nigerians.
