The National Assembly has proposed a distinct salary structure for legislative aides to the 469 federal lawmakers in both chambers, while also seeking measures to shield them from arbitrary dismissal.

Speaking at a three-day capacity-building workshop for legislative aides in Abuja, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Barr. Kamoru Ogunlana, said addressing the aides’ challenges was key to enhancing service delivery and legislative performance.

“Although legislative aides are political appointees, their conditions of service are tied to the civil service template, which fails to reflect their peculiar needs,” Ogunlana said. “Appointments lack job security, tenure depends on principals, and ranking is not always based on qualifications or competence.”

He added that the absence of comprehensive guidelines defining the duties of aides often exposes them to arbitrary decisions.

Ogunlana urged the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to develop a distinct salary and service structure for legislative aides. He also called for stricter qualification requirements to attract competent staff and mechanisms to prevent indiscriminate termination of appointments.

In his remarks, the Chairman of NASC, Saviour Enyiekere, charged aides to be more knowledgeable and skillful than their principals to improve legislative outputs at both chambers.

Participants at the training include Chiefs of Staff to presiding officers, Special Advisers, and Senior Legislative Aides (SLAs) to federal lawmakers.