APPRAISAL OF THE INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SERVICE COMMISSION (2014 -2020).

Abstract: The Nigerian National Assembly Service Commission  was established through the enactment of  the National Assembly Service Commission Act, 2014 (as amended) as  a centralized parliamentary administrative agency designed to address the multi-ethnic diversity of the Country and Composition of  the National Assembly  with respect to    appointment, promotion and disciplinary control of the  bureaucratic support staff of the National Legislature.  The essence  of this model was to ensure the Commission had the central control, independence  and   inclusiveness required to enthrone good governance in the administration of this codified  function. However, this lofty ideal had not been realized as the Commission had been accused of weak leadership, nepotism,  lack of   independence and other saundry vices often  associated with public Service in Nigeria. Why this disconnection? This Study, Appraisal of the Institutional and Legal Frameworks of the National Assembly Service Commission was designed to interrogate this gap  on the background that an Institutional and Legal Framework was  a measurable tool for  continuous integrity assessment of any regime, with the objectives  to assess the impact of the enforcement of the National Assembly Service Commission Act, 2014 (as amended) on the performance of the Commission, to identify factors in the Act that challenged its effectiveness and  independence, and to advocate  further innovative amendments to the Legal  and  Institutional frameworks for   enhanced  effectiveness.

Adopting the Elite theory and Qualitative research design with Primary data generated from triangulation of self-administered questionnaire and semi-structured interview instruments to achieve first and third objectives to the data, while the secondary data  sourced from documents, journals of the National Assembly and the Commission, the National Assembly Service

Commissions Act, 2014, relevant publications and the Internet was used to achieve the second objective. With a combined Sample size of 357, the primary data instruments were validated with pilot testing and retesting. Data was analysed using the simple statistical techniques of frequency and percentages, and grounded theory (coding) for interview data, on objective by objective approach.

On objective 1, the Study found that the enforcement of the NASC Act, 2014 had not improved the independence and the performance of the Commission due to sustained extraneous interference occasioned by administrative and financial dependence imposed by the  enforcement of the Act.

On objective 2, the Study found that  powerful individuals in the leadership of the National

Assembly exploited    “booby-trap” provisions and drafting defects in the National Assembly Service Commission Act to perpetuate the political and administrative interference that negatively robbed off on the  effectiveness of the Commission. However, the study  recommended  an innovative and comprehensive review of the National Assembly Service Commission, 2014(as amended)  to provide for a transparent process of interference as done in other climes, correct drafting defects: ambiguous and anomalous sections in the Act.

The Study concluded that a further comprehensive and innovative review of the NASC, Act 2014 and enlisting of the Commission in the 1999 CFRN (as altered) would provide for transparent   interference in the activities and support  the  independence of the Commission  for  effective and productive  performance.