The newly inaugurated 6th National Assembly Service Cocmmission has kicked off a weeklong induction/ retreat programme aimed at serving as a a forum for the new Commission to map out a roadmap for its activities in the next five years.
In his welcome address at the programme holding in Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Executive Chairman of the Commission, Chief Dr Saviour Enyiekere, unveiled the policy thrust of the 6th Commission , pointing out that his Commission would strive to prioritie the culture of excellence, integrity and public trust, professional development, employee welfare, accountability and transparency , dynamism, and strengthening of relationship with stakeholders. He also highlighted the removal of stagnation of staff and digitisation of activities of Service as the ideals the 6th NASC would pursue.
The induction/retreat programme, which was facilitated by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO), was declared open by the President of the Senate, Senator Godwill Obot Akpabio. Senator Akpabio, who was represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Senator Cyril Fasuyi described the Executive Chairman and Commissioners as “Stewards of a Sacred trust – a trust reposed in you by the Nigerian people to sustain and strengthen the machinery of our legislative arm”.
According to him, the Commission’s mandate was the sinew and spine upon which the strength and stability of our National Assembly depends.
He enjoined the new Commission to strive to achieve excellence in its activities and pledged the support of the Leadership of the National Assembly towards achieving success in its activities.
In his keynote address, the speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elder Udeme James Otong noted that the National Assembly Service Commission held a strategic role in the National Assembly as the incubator or engine room for providing efficient and effective manpower resource for law making “Your task is therefore critical and fundamentally strategic. You are all managers of the engine that drives democratic governance…..”. he told his audience.
He urged the new Commission to strive to build a legacy that would stand a test of time.
In his capacity as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Senator Cyril Fasuyi noted that the Commission carried a dual purpose of serving as the institutional memory of the Legislature, preserver of the procedural wisdom of the past as well as the motivator of a capable forward -facing workforce that is equipped to navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving democratic landscape.
Also, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters, Hon Sani Bala urged the Commission to actively participate in the ongoing repeal of the National Assembly Service Act with the view to ensuring that appropriate legal provisions were enshrined in Act to drive the reforms the 6th Commission intended to champion. He stated that while his Committee would oversight the Commission strictly to ensure Service delivery, it would also help provide it with all the Commission’s needs to make it perform optimally.
The Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Lucky U. Ikharo pointed out that the Induction/Retreat was organized to brief the new commissioners of past activities of the Commission and to chat the way forward. The theme of the programme is “Vision driven Leadership: Fostering An Ethical, Sustainable and Future-Ready Workforce”.
Emmanuel Nwokpoku ANYIGOR,
Deputy-Director, Information/ Spokesperson of the Commission
