The National Assembly Library Trust Fund is committed to making the National Assembly Library a world-class centre for the generation and accumulation (and dissemination) of knowledge pertinent to the Nigerian legislature and national development.
This was made known at the National Assembly Library Committee Retreat 2024, which had the Theme International Best Practices for Library Management, Research, and Documentation.
Speakers at the retreat, organised by the National Assembly in collaboration with a consulting firm, Prime Consult, added that the Library is committed to providing everybody with equal access to this information, irrespective of their peculiarities or abilities.
At the retreat, led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gordon Isiakpere, said the programme will explore how technology can be used to overcome the challenges of accessibility and convenience for library users in the National Assembly community.
One of the Resource persons at the retreat Mrs Vivian. N. Niemanze, who spoke on the role of budget research officers and legislative committees’ clerks in fast tracking the approval of the MTEF/FSP document, the appropriation bill and the finance bill with emphasis on policy and programmes analysis and monitoring and evaluation, highlighted the need of Legislators to have access to government sources of Information for effective oversight and decision making.
She also pointed out the importance of Legislative Research in (Planning, Budget Analysis, Policy Analysis, Monitoring & Evaluation) in providing independent sources of information to Legislators and Committee Clerks.
The role of Legislative Committee Clerks and Budget Officers is to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the objectives of the Budget process.
She said expectations at the retreat include: “To identify practical measures to guide Committees’ Clerks and Budget Officers in the Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluating of FGN budget-MTEF /FSP Document, the Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill, the inherent specific challenges and how to reverse the challenges.
“At the end of this presentation, Participants should be able to understand some basic steps in Budget Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation and the role of Committees’ Clerks and Budget Officers in Legislative Research.
“Consider the specific obstacles facing effective analysis and monitoring of the FGN budget as well as how to better support the Legislators for effective engagement of MDAs.“
Mrs Njemanze further said effective budgeting and the budgetary process are critical to Nigeria’s socio-economic and political development.
According to her, Sections 80 (1-4) and 81 (1-2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) empower the National Assembly to receive, scrutinize, and approve the President‘s annual budget estimates.
She said the budget serves to achieve government priorities and programmes.
She said a critical review of the budget is essential to ensure that government resources are allocated in such a way that they produce maximum benefits.
