Sikirat Shehu
The director- general of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), professor Abubakar Sulaiman has stressed the need for synergy between the executive and legislative arms of government to drive national growth and development.
He said the operators of the two arms of government at all levels of governance must work hand in hand to bring out the desired development across the country.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop organised by NILDS for members of Kwara State House of Assembly in Ilorin on Wednesday, Sulaiman attributed the growth and successes being witnessed in Kwara State to the cordial relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
He added that the relationship between the two arms of government in the state has not only been cordial, but productive.
“The executive-legislative relationship has not undermined the independence of the Assembly as an embodiment of the common will of the people. Little wonder that the state remains the most peaceful state in the northern Nigeria.
“The achievements of the State Assembly are, in part due to the harmonious intergovernmental relations, which has resulted in people-oriented legislations. For example, in 2021, the Assembly passed the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law to address the challenge of domestic violence and other socio-cultural and political issues in the state.
“This action alone has placed Kwara in the league of the few states that have adopted this important legislation, which was passed by the National Assembly in 2015”, he said.
Sulaiman said that NILDS had conducted training activities for about 30 Assemblies in the past two and half years, adding that, “we have interfaced with over 15 State Assemblies and trained hundreds of legislators, staff and aides under the NILDS-KAS partnership alone.
“Our interventions have not been restricted to legislators only, but also the bureaucracy of the legislature, specialised departments such as official reporters and State Assembly Service Commissions”.
In his paper, titled, “Legislative Agenda: Its principles, development and overriding importance”, the president of the Nigeria Political Science Association (NPSA), professor Hassan Salihu advised members of the Kwara State House of Assembly to tailor their legislative agenda towards enhancement of security and poverty reduction.
The don also said that some priority areas of the legislators should include youth employment, improvement in education, even distribution of infrastructure and grow the revenue of the state.
