The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamorudeen Ogunlana, has called for strict adherence to merit, competence, experience and due process in the appointment and promotion of staff, warning that deviations from established service rules could expose the National Assembly Service to legal challenges and institutional instability.
Ogunlana also called for the establishment of a single, authoritative and verifiable staff database to address inconsistencies, duplications and contradictions in personnel records circulating within the National Assembly Service.
He made the call in his opening address at the three-day retreat of the National Assembly top management and the National Assembly Service Commission, held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, from October 15 to 18, 2026.
The Clerk said the retreat provided an opportunity for the leadership of the National Assembly Service to examine existing administrative practices and determine the reforms required to build a more efficient, transparent, accountable and professional parliamentary institution.
He stressed that the effectiveness of the National Assembly in legislation, representation, oversight and accountability depended not only on proceedings in the Senate and House of Representatives but also on the competence, professionalism and efficiency of the personnel supporting their operations.
According to him, the National Assembly’s institutional effectiveness rests on the strength of its administrative structures, personnel, records, procedures and institutional memory.
Addressing human resource management, Ogunlana maintained that appointments, promotions and staff development should be guided principally by merit, competence, experience, performance and the needs of the Service.
He cautioned that allowing considerations outside the National Assembly Service Act 2014 and the applicable Scheme of Service to influence personnel decisions could undermine professional standards and expose the institution to avoidable administrative and legal complications.
He warned that such practices could result in judicial review, administrative embarrassment and institutional instability, with consequences extending beyond individual officers to the entire National Assembly Service.
The Clerk further expressed concern that when seniority, relevant experience and competence were subordinated to considerations such as an individual’s place of origin, the Service risked placing officers in positions for which they might not possess the requisite qualifications or experience.
He said this could create an institutional imbalance in which there were too many people occupying positions but too few with the capacity to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Ogunlana, however, described the challenge as an institutional problem requiring a collective response rather than one that should be attributed to a particular individual, office or administration.
He called for a renewed commitment to professionalism, merit and due process, stressing that staff must have confidence in a career progression system based on transparent, consistent and defensible criteria.
On personnel records, the Clerk expressed concern over the circulation of different staff nominal rolls containing inconsistencies, duplications, contradictions and, in some cases, questionable staff profiles.
He said a modern institution could not be effectively managed without accurate and reliable information about its workforce.
To address the problem, Ogunlana proposed a single, authoritative and continuously updated database capable of verifying the employment records of every staff member.
He said the database should capture each officer’s identity, cadre, grade level, qualifications, appointment history, promotion history, postings and training records.
According to him, the proposal was not merely an administrative requirement but a matter of institutional integrity.
The Clerk also called for stronger collaboration between the National Assembly Service Commission and the National Assembly Management, warning against the emergence of institutional silos that could undermine the effective administration of the legislature.
He acknowledged that both bodies had distinct statutory responsibilities but maintained that their functions were complementary rather than competitive.
While the Commission has responsibilities for human resource management, he explained that Management is responsible for the day-to-day administration and effective functioning of the institution.
He said effective administration required consultation, mutual respect, clearly defined responsibilities and shared institutional objectives, particularly in matters concerning the appointment, promotion and discipline of senior officers.
Ogunlana urged participants to use the retreat to clarify the respective roles of the Commission and Management in the appointment and deployment of top management staff, with a view to improving decision-making and institutional effectiveness.
He also highlighted the need for a clearer understanding of the coordinating role of the Clerk to the National Assembly within the Service.
Noting that the institution comprises 3,841 staff, approximately 12 Directorates, 72 Departments and four affiliated agencies, he said the size and complexity of the National Assembly required an effective coordination mechanism to prevent administrative fragmentation.
He explained that the Clerk’s office served as an institutional link between the political leadership of the National Assembly and the affiliated agencies, including the Commission, to facilitate cooperation and effective administration.
He clarified that the coordinating role should not be interpreted as an attempt to compete with agencies whose powers were established by law.
Rather, he said, the objective was to help the different components of the National Assembly Service work together more effectively through clearly defined institutional processes.
On staff discipline, Ogunlana said the credibility and effectiveness of Parliament depended not only on the quality of legislation but also on the integrity, impartiality, professionalism and conduct of its personnel.
He identified a gap in the existing arrangement, under which Management supervises staff while the authority to impose formal disciplinary sanctions rests with the Commission.
According to him, the separation of responsibilities could delay disciplinary action and make it difficult to establish accountability when misconduct was not addressed promptly.
He urged participants to examine the arrangement and develop measures to ensure that disciplinary procedures were timely, effective and consistent with the applicable legal framework.
The Clerk also proposed that the Commission consider delegating appropriate responsibilities for the appointment, promotion and discipline of officers on Grade Levels 3 to 6 to National Assembly Management, subject to policy, oversight and accountability mechanisms.
He explained that such delegation could reduce the administrative burden on the Commission and allow it to devote greater attention to strategic policy matters and the management of senior and critical cadres.
Ogunlana stressed that delegation would not diminish the Commission’s statutory authority but could improve administrative efficiency.
On staff welfare, he called for a common framework to promote fairness, consistency and predictability across the National Assembly Service while accommodating the peculiarities and financial realities of individual agencies.
He argued that staff welfare should not depend excessively on the personal preferences or circumstances of the chief executive of a particular agency.
The Clerk further advocated greater use of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) as the central professional platform for training and developing National Assembly personnel.
He identified legislative practice, parliamentary procedure, policy analysis, research, digital technologies, public financial management, ethics and leadership as critical areas for continuous professional development.
He said the existing ad hoc approach to staff training was unsustainable, particularly given limited financial resources, and called for training programmes to be linked to career progression, succession planning, performance improvement and the future needs of the institution.
In concluding his address, Ogunlana urged the Commission, Management and staff to work towards a common vision for the National Assembly Service.
He said the Commission should provide strategic policy direction, Management should ensure professional and efficient administration, while staff should have confidence in a fair and transparent career system.
He expressed hope that the retreat would provide an opportunity for frank discussions and practical recommendations to strengthen institutional cooperation, improve personnel management and enhance the National Assembly’s capacity to support Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
