The roles of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) in democratic consolidation in Nigeria

Abstract

The role of parliamentary aids in the legislative arm of government cannot be underestimated. Despite their quintessential roles of consolidating democracy, parliamentary aids are still not being recognised as a major complimentary force behind the success of the legislators. In order to agitate for better welfare of members and provide enabling environment to perform their constitutional mandate well, they come together as a union. It is against this backdrop that the study examined the role of parliamentary Aids association of Nigeria and democratic consolidation. The study anchored its theoretical on structural functionalism and adopted qualitative method of research design as research methodology. The study findings showed that Legislative aides had contributed immensely to the growth of National Assembly, the development and consolidation of democracy in Nigeria. Finding revealed that they have painstakingly contributed to policy, plan, and programmes of government by bringing their expertise to bear even at the detriment of not being heard. The study recommends among others that, the need for attitudinal change from reactive to proactiveness the union should not just be reacting to situations as they arise, they need to apprehend situations before they arise and that given the nonpartisan nature of the position, all employees including the legislative assistant should be prohibited from engaging in political activities.