The Clerk to the National Assembly, Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana, has disclosed that the National Assembly complex accommodates more than 14,000 workers daily, apart from federal lawmakers and the large number of visitors who pass through the complex.
Ogunlana said the figure comprises career civil servants and legislative aides, making the National Assembly one of the busiest parliamentary environments in the world.
The Clerk made the disclosure on Tuesday while speaking at the final phase of a capacity-building training programme for legislative aides serving members of the 10th National Assembly.
According to him, the enormous workforce and daily influx of lawmakers and visitors place a significant administrative burden on the National Assembly bureaucracy.
“No parliament in the world is as busy as the National Assembly which has over 14,000 personnel aside the federal legislators and their visitors, making the job of its Clerk the most demanding in terms of administrative coordination,” he said.
Ogunlana also revealed that both chambers of the 10th National Assembly had passed a combined 3,500 bills within the last three years.
He said the Senate accounted for 1,500 bills, while the House of Representatives passed 2,000 within the period.
The disclosure comes as the CNA renewed his call for a special salary structure for legislative aides, insisting that they constitute a critical part of the legislative process and require better welfare and professional conditions to effectively support lawmakers.
Ogunlana specifically urged the National Assembly Service Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to address what he described as gaps in the determination of the salaries and conditions of service of legislative aides.
He said there was a need to clearly define the respective responsibilities of the two institutions in administering the welfare and remuneration framework for legislative aides.
“NASC is the institutional authority responsible for the appointment and administration of Legislative Aides, while the remuneration structure operates within the framework developed/approved with RMAFC and is subject to approval by the National Assembly,” he said.
The Clerk also raised questions over the nature of legislative aides’ appointments, noting that while their positions are temporary and non-pensionable, there was a need for greater clarity on whether the appointments should be regarded as full-time or part-time engagements.
He said reforms should go beyond improving remuneration, stressing that better conditions would help build a professional legislative support system capable of attracting and retaining highly skilled personnel.
“Whatever reform we undertake, the goal should remain the development of a professional legislative support service that attracts and retains the best and brightest minds, as well as individuals of exemplary character and moral probity,” Ogunlana said.
The CNA’s intervention places renewed focus on the often-overlooked role of legislative aides in Nigeria’s lawmaking process, as the National Assembly continues to handle a heavy legislative and administrative workload.