By Benjamin Ubiri
The House of Representatives has called for stronger collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), to improve parliamentary administration, strengthen committee operations and build the capacity of legislative staff.
Clerk of the House of Representatives, Sidi Ibrahim, made the call during a familiarisation visit to the Director-General of NILDS professor Abubakar Sulaiman, in Abuja.
He outlined areas for collaboration, including parliamentary exchange programmes, study tours, specialised workshops and professional development courses.
Hon Ibrahim said the expanding structure of the National Assembly and its growing workforce made continuous training essential, stressing the need to expose parliamentary staff to the practices of established legislatures.
To strengthen this process, he proposed a staff development centre under NILDS to offer short courses, with retired parliamentary staff and clerks serving as facilitators and instructors.
He also highlighted the scale of the House’s operations, citing its 154 committees, 85 friendship groups and 130 ad hoc committees as areas requiring sustained institutional support.
Hon Ibrahim noted that committee clerks needed stronger professional capacity because they play a key role in supporting parliamentary business and guiding legislators.
Beyond staff training, the Clerk sought NILDS’ technical and logistical support to produce operational manuals and a comprehensive status report on the 10th National Assembly.
According to him, the report would preserve institutional knowledge and provide a reference for incoming legislators, the 11th Assembly, parliamentary departments and libraries.
In addition, he proposed a legislative summit for House committee clerks to equip them with the skills and knowledge to guide incoming lawmakers.
He also called for support for the Journals and Documentation Department, particularly in record-keeping, archiving parliamentary procedures and preparing for the swearing-in of new members.
Responding, the Director-General of NILDS Professor Abubakar Sulaiman assured the delegation of the institute’s support, describing the National Assembly and NILDS as institutions with complementary responsibilities “Hence the need to preserve institutional memory and strengthen knowledge of parliamentary processes”. He stated
The Director-General disclosed that NILDS had trained more than 300 National Assembly staff at master’s and doctoral levels over the past seven years, and questioned the practice of outsourcing legislative training when NILDS had the expertise and mandate to provide such programmes.
On the proposed areas of collaboration, Professor Sulaiman assured that the institute would explore the establishment of a staff development centre and the use of its Centre for Advanced Executive Programme.
He also pledged support for developing a toolkit or manual for incoming legislators, and called for a joint committee to develop a clear structure as well as roadmap for the proposed collaboration, assuring the delegation that NILDS would give its requests the necessary attention.
