Nigerian lawmakers have been challenged to prioritize the interests of the electorate to ensure good governance.
Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, Director-General of the National Institute for Democratic & Legislative Studies (NILDS) gave the charge at a public lecture organized by the University of Ilorin Institute for Legislative Studies held in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The NILDS Chief Executive said being the closest politicians to the electorate, legislators must accept the fact that democracy and good governance are a fundamental requirement to achieving sustainable development.
His lecture was titled: “Fostering Legislative Governance through Capacity Building: Lesson from the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.”
“The Legislature, as one of the key state institutions in a democratic system of governance, have a critical role to play in promoting democracy and good governance. As the democratically elected representatives of the people, the legislature have the honorable task of ensuring a functional government for the benefit of its citizens, especially as they are the arm of government closest to the people,” he said.
“In the performance of their key functions of legislation, representation and oversight, the legislature must actively engage in the development and implementation of laws, policies and practices that promote democracy and good governance. This can be achieved where we have an informed and well positioned members of parliament. No legislator is born with a natural capacity to deliver on his/her mandates. Functional and effective legislators are as a result of effective capacity building programmes, experiences and great supportive institutions.”
Prof. Sulaiman said NILDS as a think-tank institution was charged with the sole responsibility of equipping Nigerian parliamentarians with the requisite skills and knowledge to discharge their duties of effective legislation.
Functions
He said the key functions of NLDS include: Training Activities, Executive Education Programmes, Research Reports, Bills Drafting /Analysis, Policy Analysis, as well as Open Governance and Engagement with the public.
“Socio-economic statistics for Nigeria show the need for all hands to be on deck with regards to addressing the challenges of poverty, unemployment, exclusion, and infrastructural development. A capacity-building institution for the legislature will serve as a think tank institution for the parliament to provide periodic analysis of the socio-economic space, with a view to identifying issues that can be raised by members of parliament as motions.
“This will also help to entrench informed contributions by members to issues warranting legislative actions. The staff of the institution will also provide policy briefs that can inform the executives of alternative scenarios that will enable them to engage the executives from a more informed point of view.”
Institutionalizing the Legislature
He said for effective governance to be entrenched, institutionalizing the legislature was necessary.
He said whereas the legislature has over the years been disrupted by military incursions, the executive has always been stable.
“When transiting to the legislative space, it is vital to ensure that they have access to specialized training and retraining avenues. NILDS have been able to build the capacities of Legislative Aides through tailor-made training programmes, ranging from Bills Drafting, Motions and Bill Analysis, amongst others.
“The capacity building programmes and trainings also extend to the legislative bureaucracy, both at the National and State Levels, with committee clerks and other members of the bureaucracy participating at different levels.
In conclusion, the former Minister for Special Duties said a comprehensive and structured approach to capacity building is required.
This approach he said, should involve the development of training programs that can enhance the skills and knowledge of members and staff of the legislative body.
About NILDS
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) is one of the world’s premier academic and research institutions. It supports sustaining a dynamic and effective legislature in Nigeria at the federal, state, local, and ECOWAS sub-regions.
NILDS is an organ of the National Assembly established by an Act of Parliament.
President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the National Institute for Legislative Studies Act of 2011, with the amendment Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018.
Comments are closed.