…Freezes Account Linked to Planned Picketing
By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Mr. Kamaru Ogunlana, on Monday launched a three-day leadership masterclass for directors of the National Assembly in Kano with a blunt call for discipline, professionalism and stronger corporate governance across the federal legislature’s vast bureaucracy.
Declaring the programme open—through the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Engr. Bashir Aminu Yero—Ogunlana described the retreat, themed “Leadership Masterclass for Effective Corporate Governance,” as both timely and essential for strengthening a system he noted is among the largest legislative bureaucracies in the world.
With over 4,000 employees and more than 200 directors holding strategic administrative and technical posts, the CNA said the National Assembly has “the most experienced and most educated workforce in its history,” yet must prioritise continuous training to remain efficient. More than 3,000 staff and legislative aides, he said, have already benefitted from capacity-building programmes this year, including several conducted internationally.
Ogunlana listed key welfare milestones since he assumed office in February—from clearing inherited salary arrears and sustaining prompt payments, to restoring departmental imprest, settling first 28-day allowances for new staff, procuring utility vehicles and overhauling the National Assembly Clinic. He added that management is pursuing institutional ownership of the Assembly’s Abuja and Lagos complexes and driving reforms to secure adequate pension and gratuity for retirees.
But the CNA also addressed long-running grievances among directors, including stalled promotions, inappropriate reporting lines and office accommodation challenges. He appealed for patience, stressing that some fixes depend on improved funding. The emergence of the National Assembly Forum of Directors, he said, reflects a new effort to democratise internal decision-making.
In his sternest remarks, Ogunlana warned against what he described as an “illegal and misinformed” attempt by some staff to picket the National Assembly. Intelligence reports, he said, revealed that three Grade Level 09 officers and about 75 contributors—including one director—opened a bank account to mobilise funds for the planned protest. The account has been frozen, and contributors are now under investigation for possible prosecution.
He dismissed claims of management interference in union affairs and allegations of salary short-payments as “baseless and entirely false,” reminding directors of their statutory duty to enforce discipline and uphold service rules in line with the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act. Any disruption to legislative activities, he warned, amounts to a threat to national security.
“Senior officers must safeguard the institution by modelling the right standards,” he said.
Ogunlana thanked organisers, resource persons and participants, urging them to fully engage with the sessions and extract maximum value from the training as the retreat formally commenced.