NILDS introduces new prog for post graduate students

Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman

Director General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies,  Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, has disclosed that the institution has introduced additional course of study to the existing six for various post graduate degrees by interested knowledge seeking Nigerians.

Sulaiman onThursday listed the new course of study as Masters in Constitutional Law and Constitutional Development.

The director general, who spoke at the sixth matriculation ceremony for 79 new students admitted for the six other courses, however, lamented that space constraints at the Institute’s temporary site in Maitama, Abuja where it presently operates from, hindered it from running the new course for the 2018/2019 academic session.

“Our newly introduced  programme that is , Masters in Constitutional Law and Constitutional Development  as approved by the National Universities Commission ( NUC) , is hotly being applied for by interested knowledge seekers but space constraints in our temporary office , prevented us from running it for now.

“It is our hope that by expected completion of our permanent site along the Airport Road Abuja, this year, the new course will be run along with the six others in the next academic session”, he said.

The six other courses as stated by the DG are Masters in Legislative Studies , Parliamentary Administration and  Masters in Elections and Party Politics.

Others are Masters in Law (LLM), Legislative Drafting, Post Graduate Diploma in Elections and party Management and Postgraduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting (Distance Learning).

Professor Sulaiman in stressing the importance of the programme said : ” Competent technical legislative staff are essential to the effective functioning of the legislature and by extension in building a strong and virile bureaucracy.

“It is in realization of this need and in response to the manpower gap identified through a personal audit instituted by the National Assembly management that NILDS has been at the forefront of developing qualitative and targeted training and educational programmes that will address the skills gaps identified in all aspects of legislative operations”.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, represented by his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase, assured the Institute of continued support of the National Assembly in terns of adequate funding.

The 79 matriculants were admitted into the various programmes by the Vice Chancellor of University of Benin, Professor Faraday Orumwease being the parent institution through which the Masters degree  courses were being run.