In preparation for the smooth kick off of the 10th Assembly, the National Assembly in collaboration with the National Institute For Legislation and Democratic Studies has organised an induction promramme for members-elect.
The programme which will commence 7th to 13th, May, 2023 for the Batch A and 14th-20th, 2023 for batch B will come up at the International Conference Centre Abuja, TranscorpHilton, Abuja for all the elected lawmakers both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
It was reliably gathered that event was brought forward in order not to clash with the censor exercise coming up next month. The orgernizer of the programme do not want anything that would distract the attention of the new lawmakers from the all important induction.
The 5-day induction programme for new legislators is tailored precisely to meet the needs of new members
as well as serve as a refresher course for returning Members.Thus,the programme’s design covers many
vital areas of the work of the Nigerian National Assembly.
This induction programme, organised by the National Assembly and the National Institute for Legislative
and Democratic Studies(NILDS),will equip new and returning legislators with the necessary knowledge
and skills to carry out their responsibilities as lawmakers effectively.
In addition, it will expose them to a
wide range of activities within the National Assembly and enable them to understand the legislature
better and perform more effectively.
The thematic areas covered in the induction programme include the following: Structure, Powers and
Functions of the Nigerian Legislature;Executive Legislative Relations&Parliamentary Privileges;
Legislative Practice and Procedure and Floor Proceedings;National Security and Anti-Corruption;
Legislative Committees and Oversight;Representation and Foreign Policy;and CSOs and Development
Partners.
Given the short duration of the programme,it cannot exhaust the range of issues covered in
parliament.
It is, therefore, hoped that this induction programme will introduce Members elect to the
fundamental issues in the legislature and equip them with sufficient knowledge of legislative practice
and procedures as well as relevant tools and skills set to effectively perform their constitutional
responsibility of lawmaking,oversight and representation.
The programme’s format combines theory and practice, emphasising praxis.Thus, the programme pays
specialattentiontothepracticalaspects of being a parliamentarian the functions,operations and roles
of Legislators.
The training pedagogy adopted includes a mix of theory and practice to improve general performance of
Members of the10th Assembly from inauguration.
It is both problem-centric as well as content-centric.
Robust participatory methods will be used to ensure greater involvement. These include discussions,
feed backs and activities.The faculty is a blend of professionals,academics and practitioners to provide.
Introduce new legislators to committees as critical tools for the performance of legislative functions
expose new legislators to the concept of governance and leadership
provide refresher training for returning legislators
promote experience and knowledge sharing between participants and resource persons.
Enhanced knowledge for legislators to commence legislative business and overcome some of the common
problems being faced by new legislators;
Legislators who are sufficiently knowledgeable and familiar with legislative processes and procedures as well as tools to participate in legislative business;
Improved quality of legislative debates and interventions towards good governance of the Federation
Familiarity with the necessary tools for parliamentary oversight
Increased awareness of the role of parliament in the management of national security.
