By Joy Odor – Reportcircle News
In a charged and unflinching address that set the tone for a new era of administrative discipline and institutional transformation, the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq., opened a three-day high-level capacity-building programme for Directors of the National Assembly, December 1, 2025, at the Comfort Hub Hotel, Kano.
Before an audience of Directors, senior parliamentary officials, consultants, resource persons and members of the press, Ogunlana declared the training tagged “Leadership Masterclass for Effective Corporate Governance” as a strategic intervention at a pivotal moment for the Legislature.
Ogunlana reminded participants that the National Assembly remains “one of the biggest and busiest legislative institutions in the world,” with a workforce exceeding 4,000 career staff, over 200 of whom serve as Directors.
Despite their vast experience and increasing professional exposure, he argued that continuous training remained the backbone of institutional stability.
This year alone, he revealed, more than 3,000 staff and legislative aides have been trained many in international programmes underscoring a renewed emphasis on professionalisation.
Since assuming office on February 2, the CNA said Management has aggressively pursued staff welfare as a top priority.
He itemised a string of rapid-fire reforms achieved within his first three months:
Clearance of long-standing salary and allowance arrears
Timely payment of salaries to staff and aides
Streamlined departmental imprests and guaranteed access for Directors
Payment of first 28-day allowances to newly recruited staff
Provision of utility vehicles for key departments
Major investments in the National Assembly Clinic, including new laboratory capacity
Direct support for staff and dependants facing serious medical challenges
He further disclosed that Management is working toward providing utility vehicles for all qualified Directors, despite tight budgetary constraints.
Beyond welfare, Ogunlana pushed a more ambitious structural argument: the National Assembly must assume full ownership and control of its complexes in Lagos and Abuja, and future retirement policies must guarantee dignified pensions and gratuities.
In a rare acknowledgment of internal tensions, the CNA listed longstanding grievances affecting Directors:
Stagnant promotions due to limited vacancies
Directors reporting to ranking Directors, an arrangement he described as “structurally unhealthy”
Inadequate or improper office accommodation
He called for collective action to craft sustainable solutions and praised the creation of the National Assembly Forum of Directors, which he said will play a central role in democratising decision-making.
The speech took a hard turn as Ogunlana addressed what he described as an “unfortunate and dangerous attempt” by some staff to organise illegal picketing inside the National Assembly complex.
Despite his open-door policy and the appointment of a Director of Office Management to strengthen communication, he said no formal complaint was ever submitted before he received a sudden notice of peaceful picketing signed by three GL 09 officers acting under the banner of “Concern PASAN Staff”.
Investigations, he revealed, uncovered:
A clandestine bank account
Fundraising activities to support the illegal picketing
Contributions from about 75 staff, including one Director
The account has been frozen, he said, and contributors are being profiled for possible criminal prosecution.
Ogunlana dismissed the group’s allegations ranging from interference in union disputes to salary manipulation, as baseless and false, warning that the National Assembly is a security-sensitive zone, protected by the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
“Any threat to the peace and stability of the National Assembly is a threat to national security,” he warned.
Emphasising the role of Directors as the highest-ranking career officers in the Legislature, Ogunlana urged them to enforce discipline, uphold integrity, and maintain strict adherence to the Conditions of Service.
He stressed the need for Directors to model professionalism especially in an era of rising indiscipline among some categories of staff.
Rounding off, the CNA thanked organisers, consultants and participants and formally declared the training open, urging Directors to engage fully and return to their departments better equipped to strengthen Nigeria’s parliamentary governance.
The three-day programme, he said, is not merely instructional, it is part of a national legislative renewal drive that must succeed.
