By George Okorocha
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and the University of Benin Post Graduate Programmes on Monday in Abuja matriculated the 86 newly-admitted students for the 2021/2022 academic session.
Director General of NILDS,Prof.Suleiman Abubakar said the combined matriculation for master’s degree students under the NILDS-UNIBEN programme and the Institute’s Higher National Diploma (HND) programme marks official enrolment of matriculating students into the Institute’s academic programmes.
According to him,71 students will be officially admitted into the master’s programme, while 14 students will be enrolled in the HND programme in Official Reporting and Parliamentary Administration.
He said over the years, the number and quality of students being admitted to the various academic programmes of the Institute have been on the rise.
This, Abubakar said was a confirmation of the relevance of the programmes and the impact they have had on successive students, which had also inspired more people to join.
He said the successes and achievements of the Institute in all areas of capacity development had made NILDS not only a national but also an international model for a successful parliamentary support institution.
“In the last two years, the Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a Law establishing a Legislative Institute.
” Similar bills are under consideration in other State Houses of Assembly, including Delta State.
“At the continental level, the Parliament of Benin Republic has established a Parliamentary Institute modelled on NILDS.
” A delegation from the Parliament visited the Institute a few months ago to understudy our system and learn from our experience and success story.
“Similarly, we have received parliamentary delegations from various African countries, including Ghana and Uganda.
“Just recently, the Regional Parliament of Ethiopia approached us for a benchmarking visit due to hold at the end of this month. “
He said NILDS has continued to show leadership in both research and teaching,a adding that only recently a delegation from Federal University Lokoja visited the institute for academic collaborations especially at the level of PhD.
He said during the COVID-19 Pandemic, when all institutions of higher learning were shut down, the Institute ensured that its core activities were sustained through the effective deployment of ICT platforms.
“It is fair to say that the Institute has become a national and international brand based on a track record of excellence.”he said.
He thanked the leadership of the National Assembly for the offer of continuous support and purposeful leadership.
According to him, the institute is determined to improve its services and continuously work to strengthen the capacity of the legislature and other democratic institutions in Nigeria and beyond.
He urged the matriculating students to conduct themselves with the highest level of discipline and commitment.
According to him,
the matriculation is intended to acquaint them with the norms, practices and culture of the Institute, which is at the centre of innovative learning on issues related to the legislature and democracy.
He commended Prof. Lilian Salami, Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and her Management team together with the NILDS team for continuously safeguarding the standard of its academic programmes.
Salami in her speech, charged the students to make discipline and diligent in their individual programmes their watchword.
She said the university of Benin over the years had been rated as one of the best, while urging the matriculating students to follow the part of academic excellence characterized of the school.
She said it was her believe that the matriculating students would not disappoint in their conduct as they embark on study of their programmes.
Meanwhile,15 students were listed for the Masters in Election and Party Politics(MEPP), while 20 students enrolled for Masters in Legislative Studies(MLS).
18 were listed for Masters in law (Legislative Drafting),while
Seven were admitted for Masters in Parliamentary Administration(MPD).
17 students got listed for PGD in Election and Political Party Management, Nine for Higher National Diploma in Parliamentary Administration,while four were for Higher National Diploma in Official Reporting.