Design Programmes That’ll Sharpen New Lawmakers’ Legislative Skills, Akpabio, Abass Task NILDS

Sunday Aborisade, Abuja

The presiding officers of the National Assembly have tasked the management of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) to design programmes that will sharpen the legislative skills of newly elected federal lawmakers.

No fewer that 70 per cent of the federal lawmakers in the 9th National Assembly lost their reelection bids making the federal parliament now populated with newbies.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, have therefore urged the NILDS to bridge the gap between the older lawmakers and the newly, inexperienced ones.

They spoke at the matriculation ceremony of the University of Benin/NILDS Post Graduate Degree programmes held in Abuja on Monday.

In his speech, Abass, who was represented by his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, reminded NILDS of the  huge task at its hands given the composition of the 10th Assembly which has just about 30 per cent old membership.

Abass  said: “We can never overemphasize the imperatives of research, training and education in fostering a strong, virile and vibrant democracy. 

“It is in this regard that I must commend and appreciate the efforts of NILDS at equipping lawmakers, policymakers and the general public with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the complexities of our legislative and democratic processes.

“The Institute must quickly come up with programmes to fill the capacity gaps not only among our new colleagues and some of their legislative aides but the entire staff of the National Assembly. 

“It is hoped that your quick intervention in this regard with targeted  programmes will enhance efficiency and productivity of members and staff of the National Assembly.

“The leadership of NILDS must prioritise the purpose of the establishment of the institute which is primarily to provide targeted research input to legislative practice and procedure  and bridge capacity gaps for members and staff of the National Assembly.” 

Senate President Akpabio stressed the need to deepen legislative knowledge and provide training for legislators, staff and other members of the public with interest in legislative governance.

He advised the students to take advantage of the programme to develop their skills in the legislature to enable them enhance their capacity in the different layers of legislative and democratic governance. 

Akpabio said he was very much aware of the current state of education in the country and assured them that the 10th National Assembly under his leadership would pass legislations, which implementation will raise the standard of education.

“This administration is committed to addressing the nagging issues that border on education instability and restiveness in our tertiary institutions. 

“I wish to equally assure Nigerians that the 10th Assembly shall have as her fulcrum part of its legislative agenda boost for educational development, as we believe that our growth and development as a nation is proportional to the quality of our educational system,” said Akpabio, who was represented by his deputy, Jibrin Barau. 

The Director General, NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, urged the students to exhibit high sense of discipline while running the programme.  

“The Post Graduate Programme will not award its degree to students who are found wanting in character and in learning,” he said.

About 107 students are enrolled into the NILDS-UNIBEN Post Graduate Programmes including Masters in Legislative Studies (MLS), Masters in Elections and Party Politics (MEPP), Masters in Law Legislative Drafting (LLM), Masters in Parliamentary Administration (MPD), and the Post Graduate Diploma in Elections and Party Management (PGD).