By Kingsley Okoye
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and the University of Benin Post Graduate Programmes has matriculated the 86 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 marked the official enrolment of matriculating students into the institute’s academic programmes.
Abubakar said that 71 students were officially admitted into the Master’s programme, while 14 students were enroled 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.
“At the continental level, the Parliament of Benin Republic has established a Parliamentary Institute modeled 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,” he said.
Abubakar added: “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, saying that only recently a delegation from Federal University, Lokoja visited the institute for academic collaborations especially at the level of Ph D.
He said that 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, the 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.
Speaking, Salami charged the students to make discipline and diligent in their individual programmes their watchword.
She said that 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 characterised 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.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 15 students were listed for Masters in Election and Party Politics (MEPP), while 20 students enroled for Masters in Legislative Studies (MLS) among others.(NAN)
