Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana
The office of the Clerk to the National Assembly is not designed for comfort. It is designed for balance. Balance between urgency and procedure, between political will and administrative law, between the impatience of elected power and the slow discipline of institutions that must endure long after headlines fade.
For Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq., who marks one year in office this February, that balance has been less a theoretical challenge than a daily, practical test of judgement. As he noted during the induction of 785 new staff members, “Working in the National Assembly is more than a routine service; it is a calling that requires deep knowledge of legislative practice and procedures, high moral standards, and personal discipline.”
As head of the National Assembly bureaucracy, the Clerk occupies a uniquely sensitive space. He answers to the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives, each with its own rhythms, priorities and pressures.
At the same time, he presides over a bureaucracy that must function predictably, lawfully and fairly, regardless of political mood. His first year has therefore been an exercise in calibration rather than command.
One of the clearest arenas in which this balance has played out is the management of legislative operations. In a Parliament often criticised for delays or inefficiency, administrative bottlenecks quickly become political liabilities.
Ogunlana’s response has not been cosmetic fixes, but structural adjustments. Financial administration has been standardised, ensuring that standing imprest is disbursed equitably to directors and heads of departments. This seemingly technical intervention has had tangible effects. Committees function with fewer delays, directorates plan with greater certainty, and lawmakers receive more consistent administrative support.
Crucially, transparency and accountability have been elevated. Checks and balances have been strengthened across contract awards, procurements, postings, promotions and salary payments, all in strict adherence to the Public Procurement Act and public service rules.
Without a doubt, this is where bureaucracy quietly earns its right to exist: not by competing with politics, but by enabling it to work.
The same logic underpins Ogunlana’s push for parliamentary autonomy, particularly in relation to the ownership and management of the National Assembly complexes in Abuja and Lagos. While the issue is often framed as a political demand, it is equally a bureaucratic necessity. An institution that does not control its own assets struggles to fully control its operations.
By pursuing legislative reforms to vest these complexes in the National Assembly Management, Ogunlana has aligned political aspiration with administrative efficiency, reinforcing the legislature’s status as a truly co-equal arm of government. This effort builds on his broader call for reviewing the National Assembly Service Act to promote efficiency, while recognising the vital role of his management team in sustaining institutional progress.
It must be acknowledged that staff welfare has been another delicate frontier. In a Service shaped by years of constrained budgets, morale is not sustained by rhetoric. Under Ogunlana’s watch, salaries and allowances have been paid promptly, arrears from wage adjustments settled, and training expanded on an unprecedented scale.
Over 4,200 staff and legislative aides have been trained within the past year, many of them exposed to international best practices. Ongoing training and re-training have been prioritised to help the Service adapt to global changes, alongside the distribution of tools such as computer sets and laptops to better equip the workforce.
In reassuring over 3,000 legislative aides of job security and improved remuneration, Ogunlana has further demonstrated a commitment to staff welfare, including prompt salary payments and the settlement of outstanding allowances.
This emphasis on welfare has been paired with a consistent insistence on discipline and accountability. The message has been clear: welfare is not indulgence. It is an investment, one that must be matched by professionalism, competence and respect for institutional rules. This dual focus has helped steady the bureaucracy, preventing the drift that often follows welfare-focused reforms.
Still, the reality remains that the tension inherent in the office has not suddenly disappeared. Inadequate office space, limited budgetary allocation and outdated digital infrastructure remain stubborn constraints.
The Clerk’s acknowledgement that the digitalisation of administrative and legislative processes is long overdue is a stoic recognition of reality. A modern legislature cannot run on analogue systems, no matter how committed its leadership. To this end, Ogunlana has advanced ICT capabilities, equipping staff to become one of the most internet savvy parliamentary teams worldwide.
What distinguishes Ogunlana’s first year is not the absence of tension, but the manner in which it has been managed. Political demands have been engaged, not resisted. Bureaucratic rules have been upheld, not weaponised. Progress has been incremental, not theatrical.
To be fair, external assessments have echoed this approach. One commentary cited commendation from a senior figure associated with the United States Congress, highlighting Ogunlana’s “dedication to professionalism, competence, exemplary performance, sincerity of purpose, sense of direction, patriotic fervour, leadership focus, vigour, and fortitude.”
In the end, the strength of a democracy is not measured only by the laws it passes or the debates it broadcasts. It is also measured by the quiet competence of those who translate political intent into institutional action. As Ogunlana himself has stated, “Our democracy has continued to stabilise, with no threat of military intervention, and the National Assembly as an institution has grown stronger, more professional, and more responsive to the needs of the Nigerian people.”
One year in, the Office of the Clerk has shown that balancing political demands and bureaucratic realities is about ensuring that neither side of the equation overwhelms the system meant to serve the nation.
● Emmah Uhieneh is the Publisher of The Congresswatch magazine.
