Speaker Abbas Tasks NILDS On Providing Technical Assistance For NASS

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has urged the National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) to continue to deepen its relationship with the House of Representatives in providing technical assistance and expertise in upholding ethical standards.

Represented by Hon. Solomon Bob, the speaker gave the charge while declaring open a one-day capacity building conference for the members of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges of the National Assembly.

The conference with the theme: “Overview of Legislative Ethics and Legislative for Optimal Performance, Issues, Challenges and way Forward for Legislature”, was hosted by the NILDS.

Abbas, who acknowledged the unquantifiable role of NILDS to national development, urged the institute to sustain the tempo.

The chairman, House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, said no nation can progress without ethics and good governance.

Akande-Sadipe hailed the Speaker of the House of Representatives and director-general of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, for putting the conference together at this auspicious time.

The representative of the minister of Information and National Orientation, who is also the director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA ), Mal. Lanre Issa-Onilu, cautioned public officers against abandoning communication to personal aides.

While noting that communication mantra has changed ethnically, Issa-Onilu emphasised the need for factuality, honesty and eality in information dissemination to the public.

He said under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the national value charter will be launched soon to sensitise Nigerians to their responsibilities as citizens.

Earlier, the director-general of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, tasked participants to profer solutions to problems rather than just diagnosing the challenges.

He said the effectiveness of legislature hinges on ethics and privileges and called for actionable insights and renewed commitment to ethical standards and conduct.

Sulaiman, who thanked the chairman of the Governing Council of NILDS and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the alternate chairman, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, for their support towards the organisation of the conference, said the high turnout for the event was a testimony to their support for ethical standards.