NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE AND DEMOCRATIC STUDIES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017
Act · Governance
Policy date: 2017-01-01
An Act amends the mandate and operations of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies to enhance its role in research and training. It targets National Assembly staff, legislators, state officials, and democratic practitioners to strengthen legislative expertise. This seeks to promote democratic development across Nigeria and Africa.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE AND DEMOCRATIC STUDIES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017
What Is This Policy?
An amendment Act that updates the mandate, governance, and operational scope of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), the research and training body of the National Assembly.
Who Does It Target?
National Assembly staff and legislators State legislators and democratic governance practitioners Researchers and policy analysts in legislative studies Democratic governance development organisations
What Does It Aim to Achieve?
Strengthen NILDS as a centre of excellence for legislative research, training, and democratic development in Nigeria and Africa.
Key Features
Expanded Mandate: Broadens NILDS's mandate to include pan-African legislative development and research beyond Nigeria alone. Research Function: Strengthens the research arm to provide evidence-based support to legislative processes. Training Programmes: Develops training programmes for legislators, legislative staff, and democratic governance practitioners. Publications: Mandates NILDS to produce legislative journals, policy papers, and democratic governance resources.
Current Status
Rollout Stage: Active Coverage: National Assembly and state legislative bodies; pan-African reach Beneficiaries: Legislators; democratic governance practitioners; the public Funding: National Assembly budget; donor support
How to Access
Research publications freely available at the NILDS library Training programmes available to qualified legislative staff and governance practitioners Partnership enquiries welcomed from academic and governance institutions Application method: Engage NILDS directly for training or research collaboration.
Official Resources
Website: https://www.nilds.gov.ng Contact: National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS)
Legal Framework
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Act establishes the Institute under statute to serve the National Assembly. It operates under the National Assembly (Power and Privilege) Act, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, and the Constitutional provisions on the National Assembly (Sections 4, 48–96 of the 1999 Constitution). NILDS aligns with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) frameworks on parliamentary capacity building and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association standards.