3,500 Bills Passed in Three Years as NASS Calls for Better Pay Structure for Aides

The Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana, has disclosed that the National Assembly accommodates more than 14,000 workers daily, comprising career civil servants and legislative aides.

Ogunlana made the disclosure on Tuesday in his speech at the final phase of the Capacity-Building Training for Legislative Aides in the 10th National Assembly.
According to him, the figure does not include the 469 federal lawmakers and the large number of visitors who visit the National Assembly daily, making the Nigerian Parliament one of the busiest in the world.
He also reiterated the need for a special salary scale for legislative aides, whom he described as critical components of the 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,” he said.
Ogunlana disclosed that within the last three years of the 10th Assembly, a total of 3,500 bills had been passed by both chambers, comprising 1,500 by the Senate and 2,000 by the House of Representatives.
Apparently concerned that his earlier call for a special salary scale for legislative aides had not received the desired attention, the CNA renewed the appeal, specifically urging the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to take necessary action.
He said there was a need to streamline the responsibilities of NASC and RMAFC in determining the salaries and conditions of service for legislative aides.
“NASC is the institutional authority responsible for the appointment and administration of Legislative Aides, while the remuneration structure operates within the framework developed/approved with RMAFC and is 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?
“These reforms are aimed not only at improving the welfare of Legislative Aides, but also to strengthen 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,” he said.