Appraisal of the Institutional and Legal Framework of the Nigerian National Assembly Commission of Nigeria (2014-2020
Thesis
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.