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By EricJames Ochigbo
Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, says improved and timely funding of the institute will strengthen democracy and enhance naira stability.
Sulaiman said this at the matriculation ceremony of the newly- admitted 244 students into Higher National Diploma and NILDS/UNIBEN Post-graduate programmes for the 2024/2025 academic session in Abuja on Monday.
He described NILDS as the capacity building arm of the legislature and other democratic institutions in the country.
According to him, the institute is positioned to enhance the development of the legislature in Nigeria and beyond through capacity building.
The director-general noted that the growth and development of the legislature was disrupted in the first, second and third republics.
He said that the fourth republic, therefore, offered Nigeria the opportunity to invest in the growth and development of the legislature ‘which is the fulcrum of democracy’.
“Scientific evidence continues to show that there is correlation and bi-directional causal relationship between investment in the quality of human capital development and overall national development.
“As we get more funds for capital development, we will complete other projects that include the 1,000-seater capacity auditorium that will enable us hold seminars for all students on cross-cutting aspects of democracy and development.
“With increased funding and timely release of funds, NILDS will also continue to strengthen the capacity of legislative and democratic institutions in our country.
“Through our tailored programmes, such as the Advanced Executive Education Programme (AEEP), NILDS will also help to reduce the pressure on the naira through its executive courses that rivals those offered by global training institutions.
“This will thus help to reduce the pressure on the naira for international trainings, as such programmes would be held here in NILDS,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the available courses in the institute include: Masters in Constitutional Law and Development, Masters in Legislative Studies as well as Masters in Elections and Party Politics.
Others are: Masters in Legislative Drafting, Masters in Parliamentary Administration and Postgraduate Diploma in Elections and Party Management and Postgraduate Diploma in Parliamentary Administration.
Postgraduate Diploma in Legislative Studies and Postgraduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting are also offered by the institute
Sumaiman said that the increase in the number of enrolment from 130 in 2024 to 244 was a testament to the increase in the quality of academic programmes at NILDS.
This, he said, had resulted from the support of the National Assembly and the Federal Government.
He urge the matriculating students to adhere to the rules and regulations contained in the Student Handbook.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Bright Omoregie, urged the students to take advantage of the core objectives of their various programmes.
“I charge the matriculating students to engage meaningfully with the faculty and other resource persons during this academic journey.
“The core objective of NILDS is to consolidate and bring to the knowledge of all concerned, the ideals of an egalitarian society in a scholarly environment.
“This is by providing continuous academic discourse and invention that are in zinc with global best practices.
“This is with the view that Nigeria practices democracy and legislative governance, as done in other democratic environments,” he said.
The vice-chancellor said that UNIBEN was focused of raising men and women who would be certified worthy in character and learning, as enshrined in it motto “Knowledge and Service”
Omore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) highlighted the philosophy of the school to include: hard work, diligence, invention, discipline, honesty, fairness, equity and scholarship.
All these, he said, had been kept by the institution for the past 50 years. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq
Published By
- Senior Editor