INVESTIGATION OF PERFORMANCE OF PARLIAMENTARY STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, ABUJA

CHAPTER ONE 

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study: “Parliaments perform a vital role in any system of representative democracy, but they play an especially important role in emerging democracies – not only in improving the quality of governance by ensuring transparency and accountability, but also in shaping the public’s expectations and attitudes to democracy” (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, 2014: 112). Therefore, the OECD observed that “parliaments are the single most important institution in overseeing government activities, scrutinizing legislation and representing the public’s concerns to those in power”. The legislature (interchangeably referred to as Parliament or National Assembly) forms important parts of most governments; in the separation of power, they are often contrasted with the executive and judicial branches of government. They are charged with law-making, law enforcement, and adjudication function. As such, the legislature is said to be the first organ of government.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP (2012), “Parliament is a complex institution. It functions at different levels and many actors influence what it does. Members of parliament, the Speaker and leadership, political parties and groups, Secretaries General, clerks and administration all play a part in shaping its work”. To this end, the parliamentary staff support services provide administrative and support services to members of the legislature or parliament. They see to the smooth functioning of the members of the legislature such services include; accounting services, security services, catering and welfare services, information and communication technology support services, etc.

For the Legislature to perform its functions effectively, there is the need for well-functioning parliamentary staff support assisting, benchmarks in other jurisdictions, as well as technical knowledge to inform deliberations made in the Chamber. The crucial role of information support systems was highlighted by the Speaker of Parliament during the World e-Parliament Conference in 2009.

In as much as it is the paramount and uttermost obligation of parliamentary staff support services to aid in the amicable functioning of the legislative members, these support services however often slack in their responsibilities therefore hence the need for a thorough investigation into the performance of these staff services and how their actions affect the performance of parliament or legislative members. The parliamentary support staff is also tasked with aiding the Member of Parliament in the preparatory and planning work associated with legislative activities, compiling background material and handling communications and correspondence as well as performing secretarial and clerical work. The areas of emphasis in their job description are determined according to the needs of Members of Parliament (MPs).

Therefore, with the enactment of the National Assembly Service Commission Act 2014 primarily for the management of the administrative component of the National Assembly, it is important to state that the importance of such support staff cannot be overemphasized. It is established today that the parliamentary administration plays a role of ever-growing importance in the legislative process and the improvement of the quality of parliamentary work.

Hence, this study seeks to identify the roles of parliamentary administrators, examine the extent to which they perform those roles, and the overall importance of such roles on the legislative effectiveness of the National Assembly.

​​​​​​​Statement of the Research Problem

According to the New Zealand Parliament (2016), parliamentary service provides administrative and support services to members of parliament. Some parliamentary services it identified include: support staff in their offices, assistance with travel arrangements, policy advice, accounting services, research information services, information, and communications technology support, etc. on account of the place of parliamentary service, New Zealand parliament concluded that roles in its administrative setup vary, but every role contributes in some way to its strategic objectives.

Based on the foregoing, parliamentary staff support services not only aid in the smooth running of the National Assembly but also help make the work of the legislature easier and effective, such services Ojogwu and Wakawa (2011), posited that they aid members individually and collectively by facilitating the law-making process. Specifically, Ojogwu and Wakawa identified legislative aides and special aides on a consultancy basis as some parliamentary support staff.

However, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU (2008) argued that some challenges of parliamentary administration include: training, rationalization of the management of resources, communication and information, development of legislative research, and the institution of strategic of Interparliamentary Co-operation and of reinforcing relations with International Parliamentary Organizations (IPOs). The implication of the challenges of parliamentary administration as posited by the IPU is that the output of the legislature becomes impaired since, by design, such support service providers are nuanced in legislative activities.

In essence, the rationalization of the management of resources requires parliament, ditto parliamentary administration to adopt rules of good governance in its management to optimize the performance and costs of its activities. In the same vein, training has been observed to be an essential engine for growth and the evolution of knowledge and professional skills among parliamentary staff for the improvement of the quality of their services.

Furthermore, the development of legislative research is pertinent in the view of the need for parliament to examine the direction, foundations, and opportunities provided by texts submitted to it, and to contribute effectively to their improvement. Similarly, the communication an information challenge of parliamentary administration is in light of the need to conduct its activities transparently.

Finally, an institutional strategy of Interparliamentary co-operation and of reinforcing relations with International Parliamentary Organizations (IPOs) is a major factor in the face of the great need for exchanges and co-operation between administrations for improved parliamentary staff support service.

Therefore, in the face of the aforementioned factors militating against parliamentary administration, this study is designed to investigate the performance of the support services by parliamentary administrators, and the necessary steps needed to curb the challenges mitigating the effectiveness of parliamentary support staff services.