Barrister Kamorudeen Ogunlana has formally assumed duty as the ninth Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) since 1993.
The handover ceremony, which took place at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Saturday evening, was attended by management staff and other dignitaries.
Speaking briefly during the handover ceremony, the outgoing CNA, Mr. Sani Magaji Tambuwal, who was full of gratitude, said: “I formally hand over this document on the National Assembly to Kamorudeen Ogunlana.”
In his response, the new CNA, Barrister Kamorudeen Ogunlana, who eulogized his predecessor, applauded his courage and leadership qualities while at the helm of affairs of the Assembly.
He said: “Today is historic. I want to start by congratulating the CNA. It is an achievement for you to start a journey and complete it. It is not just to complete it; you completed it with your reputation intact.”
Barrister Ogunlana noted that the office of the “Clerk to the National Assembly is one of the few offices that the Commission actually created. You may see some Chief Executives, Perm Secs, no, no, no. The Clerk to the National Assembly is one of the few offices that the Commission actually created.
“Within the National Assembly Service, apart from the Public Complaint Commission, it’s only the Clerk to the National Assembly that is mentioned. Now that position is not just cosmetic; we all know the role of the Clerk to the National Assembly, and that role is actually evolving.
“Today, when I look at the Clerk, I see the equivalent of Head of Service. Some of you feel maybe the Clerk is an equivalent of Perm Sec, no, we’ve moved beyond that…
“It doesn’t just end there; we are talking about somebody that is managing over 4,000 staff within this confined space. We are talking about a person that manages over 7,000 Legislative Aides, then not to talk of the VIPs – the lawmakers.
“Within this space, we have the number 3 and the number 4 Citizens. Within this space.
“Do you know what it means for the president of this country to come to your domain? Do you know what it takes to host the President? Anytime they say the President is coming, for us it’s like a one-month affair, we don’t sleep! But this man was able to navigate those terrains successfully.”
The new CNA also applauded Mr. Tambuwal for passing the second test of leadership, saying: “No matter how good you are, if you don’t groom your successor, you are a failure in the area. This man actually groomed his successor.
“Now, I’ve heard people talking about successor, successor; this man has actually passed the first test of leadership. Why do I say that he has passed the first test of leadership? Leadership is very challenging; it’s not enough for you to have intellect; how you comport yourself matters. Not to even talk of commanding your followers. But I’ve watched him thoroughly; I saw that.
“I’ve already read out his legacy, so, when it comes to legacy, even generations of his children, when they come here, there are things that they will point to: it was under my father’s regime that this was done. So, you have actually left an enduring legacy, sir.”
While applauding Mr Tambuwal for a successful tenure in office, he noted the demands on the CNA, saying: “I want you to appreciate the burdens that this man was able to navigate all these successfully.
“Just yesterday or two days ago, I was compelled to highlight his achievements. I’ve listened to you, two things even though you do not exhaust it, but let me just mention two things that you have left out consistently because I clerked the Committee on Judiciary in the House of Reps. When I was there, I took them from an annual budgetary allocation of less than one billion to about 100 billion.
“Consistently, because the judiciary and the parliament enjoy what they call first line charge, so most times there’s this coincidence between the two, I don’t know whether it’s deliberate; whatever they give the judiciary, that’s what they give the National Assembly. So, we’re like that, up to 130 billion for each.
“But there’s something about this man that did not know. So I need to bring that up because I was with the Appropriation Chairmen and they mentioned it. They say it’s because of this man that they have to now increase the benchmark to 344.”
While reeling out his agenda, Barrister Ogunlana pledged to “democratise” decision-making and urged the management team to work harmoniously.
“I intend to democratise decision-making. There is no way I will sit down here, because I don’t know it all. I have the legal and legislative background, but I can’t claim to be an expert when it comes to financial issues, and that is where he comes in. I’m very happy that even though he’s leaving, he’s not really leaving.”
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