THE Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamoru Ogunlana, has said Nigeria’s federal parliament has more than 14,000 workers, excluding the 469 federal lawmakers and the large number of visitors who access the National Assembly complex daily.
News Point Nigeria reports that Ogunlana said the size of the workforce, combined with the 469 federal legislators and the volume of visitors to the complex, makes the Nigerian National Assembly the busiest parliament in the world and the job of its clerk one of the most demanding in terms of administrative coordination.
Ogunlana spoke on Tuesday at the final phase of a capacity-building training programme organised for legislative aides in the 10th National Assembly.
According to him, no parliament anywhere in the world matches the level of activity at the National Assembly.
“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 to be the most demanding in terms of administrative coordination,” he said.
The Clerk also disclosed that the two chambers of the 10th National Assembly had passed a total of 3,500 bills in the last three years.
He said the Senate passed 1,500 bills, while the House of Representatives passed 2,000 bills within the period.
Ogunlana said the enormous volume of legislative activities further underscored the need for an efficient and professional support system to enable lawmakers to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
He also renewed his call for the introduction of a special salary scale for legislative aides, describing them as a critical component of the legislative process.
The Clerk called on the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to address issues surrounding the salaries and conditions of service of legislative aides.
“There is need to streamline the responsibility of the NASC and RMAFC in determining the salaries and conditions of service of legislative aides,” Ogunlana said.
He explained that while the NASC is responsible for the appointment and administration of legislative aides, their remuneration operates within a framework developed or approved by the RMAFC and remains subject to the approval of the National Assembly.
Ogunlana further noted that appointments of legislative aides were temporary and non-pensionable, but raised questions over whether such positions should properly be classified as full-time or part-time engagements.
According to him, the proposed reforms should be aimed at improving the welfare of legislative aides and strengthening their capacity to provide effective support to lawmakers.
“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,” Ogunlana said.