Elected politicians need legislative support staff to succeed ― NASC Chairman

Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Engineer Ahmed Kadi-Amshi, on Tuesday, underscored the need for regular training of supportive staff in the Legislative arm of government in the bid to ensure effective impartation of knowledge to elected politicians who may or may not have the expertise of lawmaking.

Engineer Amshi gave the charge at the opening of the 3-Day intensive training with the theme: ‘Enhancing capacity in Legislative services’ organised by the management of the National Assembly in collaboration with SAHL Human Resources, observed that it will be very difficult to have robust Legislations for the country without the support staff.

The NASC Chairman who was represented by NASC Commissioner representing North East, Abubakar Tutare, said training staff of the National Assembly will benefit the entire country as they play a critical role in lawmaking.

He said: “Training is a priority under my tenure as chairman of NASC because it is only in training and retraining that we can develop the capacity of our staff and the need to develop capacity cannot be over-emphasised.

“Where we are in National Assembly is where laws are made for the country; there laws are made by elected politicians who may or may not have the knowledge or expertise of lawmaking.

“For them to be successful, they will need your (Legislative support staff) contribution and guidance and so the need for the necessary training in law drafting for good governance is very necessary. National Assembly Service Commission will at all times, give support to issues of staff training to develop capacity.”

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On his part, Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr Yahaya Danzaria disclosed that the Bureaucracy has already engaged experienced Nigerians and foreign experts that will provide technical support for core legislative staff.

Dr Danzaria explained that the three-day capacity training was aimed at ensuring optimum performance and productivity and “empower the workers that form the pillars of the institution or organization. Through this capacity building, we build strong institutions, and make them work.”

“I recognise and salute the Consultants who have assembled eminent and very sound resource persons ready to deliver their lectures, share their experiences and interact with staff. I have no doubt that at the end of the programme, the beneficiaries will be better equipped for greater service to the legislature and the Nigerian state. I am equally gratified by the support and the presence of the media to all our activities since we started. This friendship will remain mutual and everlasting.

“In the legislature, capacity building is the process of developing and strengthening the skills of officers that the legislative institution needed to survive and compete favourably with other parliaments across the globe.

“Today is the beginning of another three-day workshop focusing on ‘Enhancing capacity for legislative services’. This workshop targets the core legislative officers in the areas of Chamber Services, Table Duties, Rules and Business, Legislative Scrutiny and Committee System, among others.

“We are of the view that apart from the general training in Legislative Practice and Procedure which accommodates every staff of the legislature, there is a need to focus on those key and peculiar areas of legislative activities that only trained officers have the capacity to handle.

“While everyone or many people may understand that the process of Bill Making involves three stages of reading and other stages of consideration at Committee level and public hearing, not everyone has the knowledge or experience of the process of proceedings in the daily plenary in the Chambers and what follows thereafter. This is why this targeted training is crucial to further empower those officers to embrace the best international practices and be up to date in parliamentary evolutions in those specific legislative services.

“The imperative for having sustained and experienced officers in this aspect of legislative services will not be limited with just once upon a time training. Indeed, the House of Representatives Management is

already engaging experts within and outside Nigeria to provide technical support like PLAC in ensuring a continuous capacity building of all cadres and to ensure that at no time even with officers retiring from service, should we have dearth of competent officers in the system.

“Talking about continuous capacity building reminds me of the need to appreciate Dr Clement Nwankwo and his team in the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) who have been consistent in supporting capacity building in the Nigerian legislatures, especially the National Assembly, since our return to democracy.

“It is noteworthy that PLAC has scheduled another capacity building for Clerks of Committees in the House of Representatives to run in two batches starting from 23rd of this month. This support is a great encouragement to what we are doing and we hope as beneficiaries, we should show dedication and commitment to ensure that the outcome of the training reflects in our attitude to work, performance and productivity which will demonstrate the institutional capacity in comparison to other climes.”

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Elected politicians need legislative support staff to succeed ― NASC Chairman

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Elected politicians need legislative support staff to succeed ― NASC Chairman

Elected politicians need legislative support staff to succeed ― NASC Chairman