By Aaron Ossai
Barrister Kamorudeen Ogunlana has formally assumed duty as the 9th Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) since 1993.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the outgoing CNA, Mr. Sani Magaji Tambuwal who was full of gratitude said: “I formally handover this document on the National Assembly to you, Kamorudeen Ogunlana.”
In his response, the new CNA, Barrister Kamorudeen Ogunlana who eulogized his predecessor, applauded his courage and leadership qualities while at the helm of affairs of the Assembly.
“Today is historic. I want to start by congratulating the CNA. It is an achievement for you to start a journey and complete it. It is not just to complete it; you completed it with your reputation intact”, he said.
He noted that the office of the “Clerk to the National Assembly is one of the few offices that the National Assembly Services Commission actually created. You may see some Chief Executives, Permanent Secretaries. The Clerk to the National Assembly is one of the few offices that the Commission actually created.”
“Within the National Assembly Service Commission, apart from the Public Complaint Commission, it’s only the Clerk to the National Assembly that is mentioned. Now that position is not just cosmetic, we all know the role of the Clerk to the National Assembly and that role is actually evolving.
“Today, when I look at the Clerk, I see the equivalent of Head of Service. Some of you feel maybe the Clerk is an equivalent of Perm Sec, no we’ve moved beyond that.
“It doesn’t just end there; we are talking of somebody that is managing over 4,000 staff within this confined space. We are talking about a person that manages over 7,000 Legislative Aides, then not to talk of the VIPs – the lawmakers”, he said.
The handover ceremony which took place at the National Assembly complex, Abuja on Saturday evening, was attended by management staff and other dignitaries.
