The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin(UNIBEN), Edo State, Bright Omoregie, has explained the rationale behind the increasing number of students seeking to study at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies(NILDS).
Mr Omoregie, a professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN), attributed the increase in enrollment to “the robust and plural level of faculty staff and the infrastructure available at the institute.”
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The vice chancellor made the assertion on Monday during the matriculation ceremony of the new intakes for the 2024/2025 academic session at the institute’s premises in Abuja.
Formerly the director of legislative support services at the institute, Mr Omoregie commended the matriculants for making it into NILDS following a rigorous admission selection process.
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Mr Omoregie urged the matriculating students to take advantage of the core objectives of their various programmes and also charged them to engage meaningfully with the faculty and other resource persons during their academic journey.
According to him, the core objective of NILDS is to consolidate and bring to the knowledge of all concerned the ideals of an egalitarian society in a scholarly environment.
“This is by providing continuous academic discourse and invention that are in sync with global best practices.
“This is with the view that Nigeria practices democracy and legislative governance, as done in other democratic environments,” he said.
The vice-chancellor said that UNIBEN was focused on raising men and women who would be certified worthy in character and learning, as enshrined in its motto, “Knowledge and Service”
Mr Omoregie highlighted the philosophy of the school as including hard work, diligence, invention, discipline, honesty, fairness, equity, and scholarship.
All these, he said, had been kept by the institution for the past 50 years.
A total of 244 students were admitted into various academic programmes in the new academic session. In 2024, those admitted were a little less than 130.
The programmes offered at Master and Postgraduate diploma levels range from Constitutional Law and Development, Legislative Studies, Election and Party Politics, and Legislative Drafting to Parliamentary Administration.
The programmes undertaken by the institute are in collaboration with UNIBEN, which awards certificates to the graduates deemed to have been found worthy in learning and character upon the completion of the required courses.
Improved funding of the institute will enhance democracy, stabilise the naira – DG
Meanwhile, the institute’s DG, Abubakar Sulaiman, in his brief remarks at the matriculation ceremony, said that improved and timely funding of NILDS will strengthen democracy and enhance naira stability.
Mr Sulaiman, a professor, described NILDS as the capacity-building arm of the legislature and other democratic institutions in the country.
According to him, the institute is positioned to enhance the development of the legislature in Nigeria and beyond through capacity building.
The director-general noted that the growth and development of the legislature was disrupted in the first, second and third republics.
He said the fourth republic, therefore, offered Nigeria the opportunity to invest in the growth and development of the legislature ‘’which is the fulcrum of democracy.”
“Scientific evidence continues to show that there is a correlation and bi-directional causal relationship between investment in the quality of human capital development and overall national development.
“As we get more funds for capital development, we will complete other projects that include the 1,000-seater capacity auditorium that will enable us to hold seminars for all students on cross-cutting aspects of democracy and development.
Mr Sulaiman argued that with increased funding and timely release of funds, the institute would continue to strengthen the capacity of legislative and democratic institutions in our country.
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“Through our tailored programmes, such as the Advanced Executive Education Programme (AEEP), NILDS will also help to reduce the pressure on the naira through its executive courses that rival those offered by global training institutions.
“This will thus help to reduce the pressure on the naira for international training, as such programmes would be held here in NILDS,” he said.
Mr Sulaiman said the increase in enrollment from 130 in 2024 to 244 in 2025 was a testament to the increase in the quality of academic programmes at the institute, which resulted from the support of the National Assembly and the Federal Government.
He urged the matriculating students to adhere to the rules and regulations contained in the Student Handbook.
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