NILDS DG: 23 Senators, Reps to Undergo Fresh Overseas Training

•Sulaiman canvasses local capacity building, says foreign programmes lack Nigerian context

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Director-General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, has revealed that 23 members of the National Assembly will, in the coming weeks, travel abroad for another round of capacity-building training. Sulaiman disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the opening of a two-week workshop for personnel of ECOWAS Parliament on Parliamentary Oversight Functions, Votes and Proceedings.

He lamented that while Nigeria spent huge sums on foreign training for lawmakers, such programmes often “lack local content” and offered little practical relevance to the country’s legislative realities.

He said, “In two weeks’ time, we are going to be taking 23 senators and House of Representatives members for training outside the country.

“You can’t imagine how much it’s going to cost this government to do that. I cannot even disclose it.

“We have been to Oxford and other places, but all they taught us there lacked local content and had no relevance to our context.

“In NILDS, we have the resources, the expertise with almost 30 professors and consultants, to deliver world-class training right here in Nigeria.”

The political science professor, who was named Public Servant of the Year 2024 by President Bola Tinubu, argued that NILDS should be the first port of call for parliamentary capacity building, not just for Nigeria but for the entire West African sub-region.

Sulaiman stressed that Nigeria’s legislature had a continental responsibility to lead capacity-building efforts.

He stated that recent visitors to NILDS included the Malawian parliament, with Uganda expected next week, and a three-year training agreement recently signed with Republic of Benin.

He said, “Delegations from Somalia and Namibia have also previously undertaken training at the institute.

“We do not need to look up to the Western world when it comes to capacity enhancement of our parliamentarians.

“If what inspires people to go to Harvard or Oxford is the dollar, we can charge in dollars too. If it is the faces of white people that attract them, we can collaborate with them to do the training here in Abuja.”

He added that NILDS had partnered Harvard, Cambridge, and other leading institutions to develop an Advanced Executive Education Programme commencing in October.

According to him, the initiative will combine best practices from Western democracies with the realities of African governance, delivered in state-of-the-art facilities in Abuja, both physically and virtually.

Highlighting NILDS’ broader mandate, the director-general stated that the institute’s responsibility extended to strengthening democratic institutions across ECOWAS.

 Sulaiman said, “Our mandate is not just about nurturing the skills of the Nigerian parliament but also those of the ECOWAS Parliament. Democracy in Africa cannot be nurtured if we leave out the key personnel that support law-making across the sub-region.”

He stressed that parliaments, not executives, were the “key to democracy and good governance”.

Sulaiman called for greater investment in legislative capacity at both the national and sub-national levels, where the independence of legislatures remains limited.

Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Parliament, Director of Parliamentary Affairs and Research, Dr. Mohamed Garba, praised NILDS for its deep understanding of the region’s legislative needs and called for sustained partnership.

Garba said, “We have had a long-standing relationship with NILDS since 2004. Our parliamentarians and staff have benefited from several training sessions in the past, both local and international. NILDS knows the ECOWAS Parliament more than any other resource persons elsewhere.”

He appealed for more funding to enable wider access to such programmes, stating that richer countries are now less willing to provide assistance.

“As the ECOWAS Parliament evolves, we need adequate capacity building to strengthen our institution for the people of West Africa,” he added.

Earlier, Sulaiman conveyed the greetings of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to the ECOWAS Parliament delegates.

He commended the theme of the workshop as central to advancing parliamentary democracy and regional integration, stating, “In today’s fast-changing governance environment, parliaments must make informed, impactful decisions. This requires political will, expertise, and the support of highly skilled parliamentary staff.”

He said, “Beyond technical competence, we aim to inspire a culture of excellence, adaptability, and continuous learning, all indispensable for effective parliamentary support in the 21st century.”

The director-general reiterated that Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa was no accident, given its population, human resources, and intellectual capacity.

 “God did not make a mistake by giving us the population and resources we have. Our manifest destiny is to put these at the service of other African nations,” he said.

Sulaiman assured the ECOWAS delegates that NILDS will continue to serve as a hub for legislative development across Africa, urging African lawmakers to “own” capacity-building programmes rather than rely solely on external institutions.

“This renaissance of NILDS in the area of capacity building will carry you along. Anything Nigeria owns is not just for Nigeria; it is for the Black nation,” he said.

The two-week ECOWAS Parliament workshop continues in Abuja, with modules designed to enhance parliamentary procedure, oversight, and legislative support functions across the sub-region.