The leadership of the Nigerian National Assembly has taken a firm stance against externally influenced promotions within its workforce, warning that staff advancements must be strictly governed by merit, competence, and the provisions of the National Assembly Service Act 2014. ​The decision was highlighted on Saturday, October 17, 2026, during a strategic management session held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
​Addressing senior administrative officials and members of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamoru Ogunlana, emphasized that bypassing statutory protocols in favor of political lobbying or external patronage threatens the institutional integrity of the parliament. ​”Where appointments or promotions are influenced by considerations outside the National Assembly Service Act 2014 and the applicable Scheme of Service, we risk exposing the institution to litigation, administrative setbacks, and internal instability,” Ogunlana stated. ​
He reiterated that career progression within the legislative bureaucracy must remain anchored on Demonstrated competence and professional expertise, Cognate experience and performance benchmarks and Strict compliance with public service guidelines and established schemes of service. ​To curb arbitrary staff development and optimise limited fiscal resources, Ogunlana called for an immediate end to piecemeal, ad-hoc staff training programs across legislative directorates.
He directed that training operations be centralised through the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS). ​”Our staff require continuous exposure to legislative practice, parliamentary procedure, policy analysis, public financial management, ethics, leadership, and emerging global practices,” he noted. “The present ad hoc arrangement of training personnel is not sustainable given our limited financial resources.”
​In response, the Executive Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Chief Saviour Enyiekere, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to upholding transparency, justice, and merit-based advancement. ​Enyiekere assured officers that while the commission remains focused on improving staff welfare and incentive structures, due process will not be compromised under external pressure. ​
The three-day management retreat concluded with representation from key legislative principal officers, including representative spokespersons for the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
