NASS passed over 3,500 bills in three years — CNA declares

• Demands special salary structure for legislative aides

By Haruna Salami

The Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana, declared on Tuesday that the National Assembly has passed over 3,500 bills in the last three years.

Speaking at the final phase of the Capacity-Building Training for Legislative Aides in the 10th National Assembly, the CNA disclosed that the two chambers house over 14,000 workforce members.

This figure, he stated comprises career civil servants and legislative aides, excluding the 469 federal lawmakers and the daily influx of visitors, making Nigeria’s Parliament the busiest in the world.

Ogunlana reiterated the need for a special salary scale for legislative aides, describing them as a critical engine room of legislation.

“No parliament in the world is as busy as the National Assembly, which has over 14,000 personnel aside from the federal legislators and their visitors, making the job of its Clerk the most demanding in terms of administrative coordination.

“Within the last three years of the 10th Assembly, a total of 3,500 bills have been passed by both Chambers: 1,500 by the Senate and 2,000 by the House of Representatives,” he added.

Concerned that his call for a special salary scale for legislative aides last year has not yet been addressed by relevant authorities, the CNA renewed his appeal, specifically calling on the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to take action.

He noted the need to streamline the responsibilities of the NASC and RMAFC in determining the salaries and conditions of service for legislative aides.

He explained:”NASC is the institutional authority responsible for the appointment and administration of Legislative Aides, while the remuneration structure operates within the framework developed and approved by RMAFC, subject to approval by the National Assembly.

“It is settled that the appointment of Legislative Aides is temporary and non-pensionable, but is it a full-time or part-time appointment?”

He concluded, “These reforms are aimed not only at improving the welfare of Legislative Aides but also at strengthening their capacity to provide support to their principals.

“Whatever reform we undertake, the goal should remain the development of a professional legislative support service that attracts and retains the best and brightest minds, as well as individuals of exemplary character and moral probity.”