March 1st, 2023 was a special day, a day of happiness for the country and especially for the Parliament of Burundi which organized the 14th edition of the National Prayer Breakfast which consists of praying and sharing. This event was coupled with the cutting of the ribbon, sign of inauguration of the new building of the National Assembly accommodating an international conference hall named « Agateka hall », by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye. The socalled building was built at the Kigobe Congress palace. It was also the moment to exchange wishes for the year 2023 to the MPs and staff of the National Assembly.
The word of God that was meditated upon during the National Prayer Breakfast was taken from Colossians 3:23 where it is written: "Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as for the Lord and not for men. The preacher of the day, Reverend Pastor Denise Bucumi Nkurunziza, called on everyone to carry out the assigned task with a good heart, not only under the eyes of their authority as if to please men, but with simplicity of heart in the fear of God, because, she said, God is omniscient, He sees everything we do; one day, He will require us to be responsible for our deeds. That is why we must do our best to render good service without asking for bribes in return since that practice and injustice are very despicable acts before God.
On the other hand, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Right Honorable Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe, was delighted with this memorable day dedicated to the ecumenical prayer that brought together the country’s leading authorities. "This is the day of joy, the day of sharing the great meal which is the word of God," he said before awarding the certificate of honor to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, in recognition of the Government’s support for the construction of the inaugurated building of the national Assembly.
An activity enclosed in the country’s history
The President of the Republic then congratulated the Right Honorable Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe for the great work accomplished. "It is an activity that will be recorded in the history of the country, we will say that it was built under the leadership of Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe".
The people’s voice is God’s voice
Commenting the word preached, the President Evariste Ndayishimiye called on all Burundians in general and all leaders in particular to work with a good heart, to serve God’s people well without denigrating them since the voice of the people is the voice of God.
In addition, he said, we must work hard to achieve sustainable development. "We have to work hard to fight against poverty and achieve development because we have many favorable aspects including climate and tourism’’, he said. He urged all leaders to fight against bribery and injustice while winking at those who have embezzled public funds to return them to the central bank before severe measures are taken against. In the same vein, the President of the Republic urged all Burundians to fight against the inhuman act of homosexuality. He insisted that "anyone who dares to commit this act will be cursed".
The work done diligently
At the time of exchanging wishes for the year 2023, the Right Honorable Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe, in his speech, traced the major activities carried out during the year 2022. As regards the voting of laws, forty-three (43) draft laws were analyzed and adopted; as regards the control of government action, various ministers were invited to answer oral questions with debates by the MPs given that they represent the people. Besides, visits were made to listen to the population’s complaints. The Speaker of the National Assembly congratulated the MPs and all the staff for their hard work.
He encouraged them to move forward to increase production while materializing the motto of the President of the Republic; that every mouth has food and every wallet has money. The Speaker of the National Assembly raised a glass of wine as a sign of best wishes for the year 2023, a year of peace, good health and good production, in short, a year full of divine blessings.
The ceremonies of the day ended with the awarding of a certificate of honor by the MPs to the Right Honorable Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe in recognition of his courage and commitment to the construction of the new building.
The certificates of honor were also awarded by the Right Honorable Daniel Gelase Ndabirabe to those who contributed to the construction of Agateka Hall. These include the Senate of Burundi, the Chinese Embassy, the MPs of East African Legislative Assembly, ALPHA CD Technology and individuals. The cost of the construction work of the said building is equivalent to more than seven billion two hundred million Burundian francs (+7.200.000.000 BIF).
