NASS houses over 14,000 workforce aside legislators, visitors = CNA

…says over 3,500 bills passed by both chambers within the last three years

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana declared Tuesday that the National Assembly on daily basis, houses over 14,000 workforce comprising of carrer civil servants and legislative aides.

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The CNA who gave the statistics in his speech at the last phase of Capacity – Building Training for Legislative Aides in the 10th National Assembly, said the over 14,000 workforce is not inclusive of the 469 federal lawmakers and crowd of visitors who visit them daily, making the Nigeria Parliament, the busiest in the world.

This is even as he reiterated the need for special salary scale for the legislative aides who according to him, are critical component of the engine room of legislations .

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“No parliament in the world is as busy as the National Assembly which has over 14,000 personnel aside the federal legislators and their visitors making the job of its Clerk, to be 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 said.

Apparently worried that his call for special salary scale for legislative aides last year, has not been harkened to, by relevant authorities, the CNA in his speech reiterated the call by specifically calling on the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), to do the needful.

He said: “There is need to streamline the responsibility of the NASC and RMAFC in determining the salaries and condition of service of legislative aides.

“NASC is the institutional authority responsible for the appointment and administration of Legislative Aides, while the renumeration 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 fulltime 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”.

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