Prof. Abubakar O. Sulaiman, Director General of National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), emphasized that NILDS Internship Programme on Legislative Drafting is poised to enhance the legislative process in Nigeria. This declaration was made during the inauguration of the third batch of the Institute’s Internship Programme on Legislative Drafting on Thursday, 9thy November, 2023.

Prof. Sulaiman highlighted that the internship aims to bolster the skills of participants in legislative drafting, equipping them with the essential knowledge required to actively contribute to the formulation of laws and other legislative instruments for the Nigerian legislature. He further explained that the program’s objectives are intricately designed to familiarize interns with principles and rules of legislative drafting, the legislative process, the role of a legislative drafter, various types of legislation (including bills, regulations, and treaties), legal research skills, analysis of legal issues pertinent to legislative drafting, the committee system in the Legislature, and an understanding of the societal impact of legislation.

The Director General underlined that this initiative stems from the Institute’s commitment to addressing the significant shortage of legislative drafters in the country, despite the growing demand for their services at both national and sub-national levels.

He urged the selected participants to consider themselves fortunate for this valuable opportunity. Upon completion of the program, interns underwent assessments, with the Institute offering employment opportunities to the best-performing interns. This tradition will continue this year, and participants will receive certificates and letters of recommendation for potential engagement by legislators.