The Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abubakar Suleiman, has called on policy makers to ensure gender parity nationwide for speedy development.
Mr Sulaiman, a professor, made the call on Friday in Abuja at the passing out ceremony of the fifth cohort of the institute’s internship programme on legislative drafting and the commencement of the sixth batch.
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According to the DG, the internship programme is not merely an academic exercise but also a professional training ground governed by the institute’s policies and values. He reaffirmed NILDS’ commitment to delivering programmes that are relevant, impactful, and aligned with the needs of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
Speaking on the results, Mr Sulaiman said that the results showed that the fifth cohort had very brilliant and exceptional interns, with so many ties in the score margin.
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The director-general said that four ladies: Adesanwo Oluwaseun, Rufai Maryam, Alfa Talatu and Oluwatoyin Ihinmikalu, emerged first runners-up with a total score of 87 points each while Titus Bulus emerged the overall best graduating intern, with a total score of 88 points.
“Our girl-child should be given more placement in our society; all these ladies graduated from the university with either first class or second class upper honours.
“We are proud of them. If I have my way, I will not go by 35 per cent affirmative action but by 50 per cent, ” he said.
“We in power and positions of authority should think deeply on how to ensure gender parity in our country. There is nothing a male child can do that a female child cannot do,” he said.
Best graduating student, others speak
The best graduating intern, in an interview with journalists, said they were all subjected to mind-blowing experiences in the last three months of the programme.
Mr Bulus said that it was a dream come through for him, as he had always desired to pursue a career in legislative drafting.
“I found this platform, I made myself available and today, it is a game-changing moment for me; I have been deeply impacted by legislative practices and procedures.
“I am super excited. We are all best winners; however, one person had to be chosen at the end of the day and I am lucky to be chosen as the best.
“With the knowledge acquired here, Nigerians should expect robust legislation that will impact the lives of all citizens,” he said.
Also speaking, one of the second runners-up, Oluwatoyin Ihimikalu, said that they had learned a lot about legislative drafting and the business of the legislature in general.
Mr Ihimikalu said that specific attention was given to drafting of international treaties and penal codes as well as provisions to understanding how motions and committees work in the legislature.
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“We, the fifth batch of interns, are very grateful to the director-general of the institute; we hope to put into practice all we have learned at this training,” she said.
About the internship
The internship programme, an initiative of the DG, is a three-month programme run by the institute to train interns on various aspects of legislative drafting, a crucial element in lawmaking.
The interns, who are lawyers fresh from Law school, are picked after a rigorous selection process using certain criteria, according to the coordinator of the programme, Shuaibu Danwanka.
Mr Danwanka commended the director-general for sustaining the programme despite the economic challenges and budgetary constraints facing the country.
Mr Danwanka said Mr Abubakar’s dedication to bridging the manpower gap in legislative drafting was not only commendable but also transformative for Nigeria’s legislative sector.
