Promotion: Tough time awaits NASS management, staff

Members of the management and staff of the National Assembly are to henceforth face severe hurdles in securing their promotion from one level to the other, following the introduction of a compulsory Certificate Course in Parliamentary Studies.

Director General of the National Institute for Legislative Studies. (NILS), Dr. Ladi Hamalai, who made the disclosure on Monday, said that the management of the Institute chaired by Senate President Bukola Saraki had approved the new measure.

She said that by the approval, members of staff and management of the National Assembly were expected to acquire a Professional Certificate in Parliamentary Studies (PCPS) as a prerequisite for promotion from one level to another.

Dr Hamalai said at a press briefing after a meeting of its board that the institute had also had its functions expanded, adding that it would soon be renamed the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) to encompass its new assignment.

She said that the institute had been mandated to run professional certificate programmes in parliamentary studies to take care of management and staff of the National Assembly.

She added that the Parliamentary Certificate course had been approved for the staff at a meeting of the Governing Council attended by the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) Mohammed Sani-Omolori.

The NILS Director said: “The management of the National Assembly would now be subjected to a compulsory certificate programme or parliamentary administration basic level and advanced level so that all cadres within the management would be fully acquainted with all the legislative processes and management processes of National Assembly whether you are in finance department or whether you are in Senate or House. All would have the same basic knowledge about the legislature and the legislative process.

“The programme would be so detailed and practical and will have sub-topics like chamber operations, official reporting operations, office of the clerk of committee.

“In fact, at a certain time, promotion of affected staff will have to be based on the acquisition of such parliamentary professional certificates.

“To reflect its overall objectives, the council approved the processing of an Amendment Bill to change the Institute’s name to National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies’ (NILDS).