POLITICS
Vibrant Legislature Critical to Growth of Nigeria’s Democracy —NILDS DG
Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), has described the legislature as a critical institution to the growth of Nigeria’s democracy.
He stated this at the end of a three-day Capacity Building Workshop for Legislative Aides in the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday.
The workshop was organised by NILDS, aimed at providing participants with a deeper understanding of the lawmaking process and better skills for bill analysis.
Sulaiman said that without a vibrant legislature, the country would not have a vibrant democracy.
He said, “Since 1999, we have had uninterrupted democracy and we cannot get it right if we don’t have a vibrant legislature.
“Key to the legislature are the parliamentary staff and a major group of these parliamentary staff are the legislative aides.
“If they are not well taken care of, it impacts on the workings of the legislators.”
Sulaiman further said that the parliament was a crucial arm of government and that for it to function optimally, there was need for training and re-training of all categories of staff in specific areas of need.
“The 1999 Constitution provides for legislative aides to assist members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly in the discharge of their duties,” the NIDLS boss added.
He said that each federal legislator was entitled to a minimum of five aides; Senior Legislative Aide, Legislative Aide, Personal Assistant and Office Secretary.
The NIDLS director-general further said that such training and retraining was necessary to expose the aides to the best international practices as to how things were done.
“In addition to core legislative duties, legislative aides perform a wide range of communication and public relations duties with constituents, media representatives and individuals and organisations involved in the legislative process.
“In light of these important responsibilities of legislative aides, there is a critical need for thorough training for both new and returning aides.
“This is even more vital, given the high turnover of legislators which in turn means that a substantial number of legislative aides will be new and thus inexperienced in many aspects of legislative practice and procedure,” he further stated.
While calling on the aides to remain calm with regards to agitations on emoluments, Sulaiman noted that there were public misconceptions on salaries of federal lawmakers.
“There are misconceptions and misinformation on entitlements of legislators.
“Hardly does the public realise that when you talk of N17 trillion as Nigeria’s annual budget, less than N300 billion goes to the National Assembly.
“Of this N300 billion, however minute it is, the over 3,000 legislative aides are being captured among those that should benefit from the money,” he explained.
He said, however, that the governing council was poised to resolving issues of salaries of the aides.
A participant, Mr Frank Stephen, who commended NILDS for the training, called on other institutions of government to embark on such workshops to better the lot of the workforce.
Another participant, Mrs Joy Adeleke lamented the non-payment of legislative aides’ salary arrears and non-payment of Duty Travel Allowances (DTAs).
She appealed to the NILDS management to “drive home” their demands for improved performance on the part of the staff.(NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
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