NASS seeks separate salary structure for legislative aides

The National Assembly is advocating for a separate salary framework specifically designed for aides to Senators and members of the House of Representatives.

With 109 Senators and 360 House members, thousands of aides serve their offices.

The proposed new salary structure aims to address the unique financial challenges faced by these legislative aides, particularly concerns about job insecurity.

There is also a call to protect political aides’ appointments from arbitrary dismissal by their principals across both chambers of the legislature.

Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, emphasised these points during a three-day capacity-building training session for legislative aides held in Abuja.

He emphasised that addressing the challenges faced by aides is crucial to enhancing their service delivery, which, in turn, would improve the performance of Senators and members of the House.

Ogunlana stated, “We recognise the difficulties you face. Although Legislative Aides are political appointees, your terms of service are currently based on the career civil service template, which does not fully reflect your specific needs.

“Unlike career civil servants, your appointments do not guarantee job security; tenure largely depends on your principals, and promotions often overlook qualifications or competence. Moreover, no comprehensive law or guidelines define the duties and responsibilities of various categories of Legislative Aides. This gap sometimes exposes you to arbitrary decisions and unfair treatment.

“The current leadership believes it is time to address these systemic issues. We are urging the National Assembly Service Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to establish a distinct salary structure and service conditions that reflect the unique nature of your work.

“We also recommend revisiting appointment qualifications to attract competent and experienced personnel, as well as creating mechanisms to prevent arbitrary termination by principals.”

In his remarks, Saviour Enyiekere, Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), encouraged legislative aides to develop greater knowledge and skills than their principals to ensure more effective legislative output in both chambers.

The legislative aides participating in the training included a wide range, from the Chief of Staff to the four Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, their Special Advisers, and Senior Legislative Aides (SLAs).

The event was organised jointly by the National Assembly and Research Enterprise Systems (RES).

The National Assembly’s budget allocates funds for the salaries and allowances of aides. For example, in the 2023 fiscal year, approximately N228.1 billion was allocated for the National Assembly, covering salaries, allowances, severance packages, and operational expenses, including those for legislative aides.

Roughly N8 billion of this was reportedly spent on salaries and allowances for over 3,000 aides.

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