Only 30% of members returning to NASS; We’ve lost capacity, Lawan cries out

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Only 30% of members returning to NASS; We’ve lost capacity, Lawan cries out

BARELY fifty- nine days to the expiration of the present 9th National Assembly, the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan has cried out that the low level of returning lawmakers is disturbing and worrisome.

Lawan lamented yesterday that it becomes very expensive and costly when there exists a situation where only about 30 per cent of members of the ninth National Assembly would be going to the 10th Assembly amounts to loss in capacity, loss of experience, loss of skills, and enterprise, among others.

Meanwhile, ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, Lawan has set an agenda, saying that capacity building for members of the incoming 10th National Assembly should be a priority for efficient and effective service delivery.

According to Lawan who will round off as the President of the Senate in June, what should be of major concern for the next National Assembly is that there should be provisions for capacity building especially for the new members to achieve the set goals and targets.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja while receiving 2020, 2021 and 2022 annual reports of the activities of the National Assembly Service Commission from the Executive Chairman, Engr Ahmed Kadi Amshi, Lawan said: “What is critical to us is what happens when we leave. Everybody knows the turnover rate has been very costly and this is without prejudice to anybody elected.

“Costly in the sense that when you have only about 30 per cent of members of the ninth National Assembly going to the 10th Assembly, you know that you have lost capacity. You have lost experience. You have lost skills, enterprise and so on and so forth. These are traits that you need, to hit the ground running immediately.

“And I use the word costly deliberately because what this means is that, the 10th Assembly, we must make provisions immediately for capacity building for new members of the National Assembly If we want to achieve our goals and set targets.

“Everybody is enthusiastic. Everybody is ready. We want to come in and continue to contribute to making Nigeria better. But the parliament is not like the Executive.

“Therefore, I am using this channel to sound that advisory that the National Assembly will need money will need more resources for capacity building for members of the National Assembly that are coming new, as well as those staff that we will be working with.

“I also want to urge here that the National Assembly Service Commission, the management of the National Assembly, as well as the management of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, will have their hands full because the tenth National Assembly, and I am not speaking for the 10th National Assembly, is yet to be inaugurated, but I know having met many of our Senators-elect, they are all ready to start work immediately we are inaugurated and sworn in.”

The Senate President who asked for the support of the National Assembly Service Commission for the incoming lawmakers, said, “So we want your support. You are there. It is the National Assembly membership that is always changing. You will give us the kind of support that will make us do so well.

“Whatever we have achieved, wouldn’t have been achieved without the National Assembly Service Commission and the staff of the National Assembly.

“Infact the staff have been very wonderful, very supportive and we believe that this is the kind of stuff that we should always have and also as an Assembly, as a Commission, we need to continue to give the staff the kind of motivation that they need.”