NILDS hosts workshop, tasks legislative clerks on effective legislation
By Patrick Wemambu
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has organized a capacity- building workshop for clerks of state houses of assembly in Nigeria which ended over the weekend.
Designed to strengthen leadership management and financial autonomy in the various sub-national parliaments across the country, the 2-day event “focused on improving leadership development, innovative management skills, human resource management and administrative efficiency.”
Speaking at the occasion, the Director-General of the NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, had called on the attendees to display the highest level of responsibility in executing their crucial roles in the legislative process.
Emphasizing that achievement of good governance and constitutional mandates depended on the competence of legislative bureaucracy, the DG expressed that legislative clerks were the administrative backbones of any legislative body without which the success and effectiveness of legislation in Nigeria would be difficult to attain.
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He told the participants; “You are the engine room of legislative activities through the coordinating role you play in your various Assemblies. Your leadership, administrative competence and strategic guidance are essential for the smooth functioning of legislative processes and the successful implementation of financial and administrative autonomy.”
Cognizant of the aforementioned duties, Sulaiman reiterated one of the mandates of NILDS being the capacity-building hub for legislatures at all levels of government which necessitated design of the intensive workshop to equip the clerks with the knowledge, skills and tools required for innovative and responsive leadership responsibilities in legislative management.
“Our carefully selected resource persons drawn from various fields of expertise will offer valuable insights and practical strategies to address the complex challenges confronting legislative bureaucracies in Nigeria,” the NILDS DG concluded.
In a vote of thanks, Rukkaiya Adamu Jalo, chairperson of the Forum of Clerks to State Houses of Assembly, commended Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman and management of NILDS for organizing the 2-day capacity-building workshop. She noted that the actionable skills to boost performance and implementation of financial autonomy gained during the programme would contribute to advancing effectiveness of the legislative process in Nigeria.
