BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
Nigeria’s uninterrupted nascent democracy for 25 years was celebrated on the 29th May, 2024 both by the government and the legislative arm of government geared towards taking the country beyond the silver jubilee celebration.
With this celebration, it was an indication that a successful democratic process in the last 25 years has become a veritable tool for an uninterrupted development in all facets of the country.
But the success recorded cannot be divorced from the previous handlers of various organs of government and current drivers of same organs in the present dispensation.
The National Assembly Service Commission NASC played a leading role in the thriving democracy and it’s activities, coming from an office room apartment to a state of the art edifice ready for commissioning before the end of 2024, will be the best thing that has happened to a regulatory body overseeing the day to day activities of the staffers of the National Assembly.
This is happening under the leadership of Engr Ahmed Kadi Amshi FNSE along with the six commissioners from the geopolitical zones in the country.
Coming on board after many previous predecessors in February, 2019, the current leadership had demonstrated willingness, capacity and capabilities that had led to a thrived 9th National Assembly, and the settling down of the 10th National Assembly in June,2023, spanned to a year in June, 2024.
Aside resolving the office accomodations problems and providing the needed knowledge, experience and capacity that had assisted tremendously in the workings of federal lawmakers with 109 Senators and 360 House of Representatives members, the commission had prioritized capacity building, training and retraining as the core of its programs.
In the last few years, workers welfare and development both at home and abroad was strictly adhered to , as regular promotions, advancement as well as backlog of arears of promotions with cash backing had become a routine program of the management of the commission.
The leadership created more departments that gave room for job execution and satisfaction in line with the civil service rules.
The establishment of robust work ethics away from the previous order and punishment and reward system has encouraged performance among all cadres of staff of the commission in recent years.
The transparent and accountable procurement process instilled by the current commission had made job execution from the annual budgets seamless, and with decorum in line with the procurement law.
Aside ensuring robust performance of the immediate staff of the commission, and by extension the National Assembly which included thousands of legislative aides to the federal lawmakers, who are direct staff of the commission, before deployment to the federal lawmakers.
With constant training and retraining of staff of the commission, National Assembly, and legislative aides to the members, alot of success has been recorded in the last 25 years of the commission.
Having gone this far, the construction of the new NASC building at the three arms zone , will also reduce to the barest minimum the movement of both staff and files, as well as meetings between the management, leadership of the National Assembly, visitors and other fora between the commission and other organs of government and countries.
Twenty five years down the line, the National Assembly Service Commission NASC cumulatively and under the leadership of Engr Ahmed Kadi Amshi FNSE and his commissioners have contributed greatly to the thriving democracy and the country at large.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar@gmail.com.
