Senate President Ahmad Lawan has assured members of the board of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) of the support of the National Assembly in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Sen. Lawan gave the assurance when members of the newly inaugurated board paid a courtesy visit to his office at the Senate on Tuesday.
The Senate President, who doubles as the Chairman of the National Assembly, charged the commission to create an environment that would ensure efficiency on the part of lawmakers in the discharge of their mandates and duties.
“We have no doubt that this is an extremely focused team, and like we said, the gap between when the last National Assembly Service Commission finished its assignment and when you came on board was a bit wide and long, and so many things remain outstanding.
“I want to assure you that we will be there to see how to deal with some of them. One thing we desire as members of the National Assembly is for you to perform your responsibilities so well, to create an environment for members of the National Assembly to discharge their mandates and responsibilities effectively with ease. That requires very qualified staff for members of the National Assembly,” the Senate President said.
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Underscoring the importance of recruiting competent and qualified staff for the National Assembly, Lawan harped on the need for the commission to prioritize the training and welfare of aides attached to lawmakers.
“We, therefore, require that when you (Commission) recruit, we have people who have the capacity to help us do the work. And of course, the training and retraining of staff, the aides that we have, is fundamental, because when the number is inadequate and you have people who are not very fit or trained properly, then it becomes double jeopardy for members of the National Assembly.
“I want to assure you that we will do everything possible within our limits to ensure that you have the environment to do your job well.
“The welfare of staff is fundamental, and I think that is one issue that has not been settled properly,” Sen. Lawan stressed.
Earlier, Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Ahmed Kadi-Amshi, said the commission “would provide support to legislators with a view to meeting the challenges of legislation for democratic governance and sustainable development of Nigeria.”
According to him, the NASC under his leadership would pay attention to “ensuring timely staff promotions, enforcement of discipline in National Assembly service, and ensuring appropriate punishment and reward system, thus providing efficiency and productivity for the National Assembly.”
