The National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Parliament of Malaysia are exploring ways to strengthen parliamentary administration through knowledge sharing and institutional collaboration.
Only recently, a high power delegation comprising Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service and House Committee on Public Service Matters, as well as Management staff of the Commission, was in Kuala Lumpur on a parliamentary study visit to the Parliament of Malaysia.
According to a statement by the Deputy Director, Information and spokesperson of the NASC, Emmanuel N Anyigor, the engagement provided a platform for both institutions to exchange ideas on effective legislative management, human resource development, and innovation in parliamentary processes and procedures.
The Executive Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission, Saviour Enyiekere, who led the delegation, explained that the visit was part of the Commission’s efforts to benchmark international best practices and enhance service delivery within Nigeria’s legislative bureaucracy and the NASC’s broader initiative to promote excellence, transparency, and innovation in the management of Nigeria’s legislative institutions.
“We believe that exposure to global standards in parliamentary administration will not only improve the capacity of our staff but also strengthen the institutional framework of the National Assembly.”
He commended the Malaysian Parliament for the warm reception and cordiality extended to the Nigerian delegation during the visit while recalling that Nigeria and Malaysia shared close bilateral relations and common positions on many issues in international diplomacy.
The Chief Administrator of the Malaysian Parliament, Dato Ahmad Hussaini bin Abdul Rahman, in his message delivered by the Head of the Management Division of the House of Representatives, Amisyahrizan bin Amir Khan, commended Nigeria’s commitment to continuous institutional development, pointing out that the visit of the Nigerian delegation would enhance Inter-Parliamentary co-operation between the two Commonwealth countries.
“Inter-parliamentary cooperation is key to the growth of democratic governance. Malaysia and Nigeria share a common goal of strengthening the legislature as a pillar of democracy.”
The Nigerian delegation also had technical sessions with various departments of the Malaysian Parliament to understudy their systems of human resources management, record management, staff welfare, legislative research, and administrative processes and procedures.
During the interactive sessions, it was discovered that the NASC and the Parliament of Malaysia had similarities in the legislative manpower management, with the Malaysian Parliament recently enacting a law for the establishment of Parliamentary Service Board, which, like the NASC, will be the statutory body to manage the manpower of the Parliament.
The technical sessions further revealed that the Parliament of Malaysia has an advanced policy of preparing its workers for retirement, with officers made to undergo series of training programmes two years before retirement to enable them to transition from civil service to private business engagements after retirement.
As part of the visit, the delegation was led on a guided tour of the Parliament and admitted to the plenary session of the Dewan Rakyat ( House of Representatives) by the Speaker, H.E. Tan Sri Dato (Dr) Johari bin Abdul, who noted that the visit by the team from Nigerian NASC was good for promoting the global South-South co-operation.
Both sides agreed to explore future collaborations through staff exchange programmes, training workshops, and the sharing of administrative resources.
The parliamentary study visit was facilitated by the Nigerian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie
