Abuja: Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, announced that the institute has extended its capacity-building and legislative support services to 31 state Houses of Assembly across Nigeria. Sulaiman made this disclosure during an appearance on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series, highlighting the institute’s achievements and strategic focus over the past seven years.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Sulaiman emphasized that strengthening democratic governance at the grassroots level in Nigeria was a top priority when he assumed leadership of NILDS. He noted that legislative training and technical assistance were previously concentrated on the National Assembly, leaving state Houses of Assembly less involved in the institute’s activities. Sulaiman stated that it was essential to decentralize these services to enhance the capacities of sub-national parliaments.
Sulaiman further explained that his goal was to change the perception of state legislatures as mere extensions of the executive branch by equipping them with necessary technical skills. He reported that, in the last seven years, NILDS has actively collaborated with 31 state assemblies, including a recent three-day training session for all members of the Adamawa State Assembly. The institute partnered with Konrad-Adenauer-Stifung (KAS), a German-based NGO, to initially collaborate with 16 states, eventually expanding to nearly 32 states.
Under Sulaiman’s leadership, NILDS has extended its capacity-building efforts beyond state legislatures to other key democratic institutions at the state level. Entities such as the Lagos State Law Reform Commission, MTN, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have engaged the institute for specialized capacity-development programs. Sulaiman noted that NILDS has conducted nearly 60 different training sessions in 2025 and more than 32 sessions in 2026, despite being an election year with typically low patronage.
Sulaiman highlighted NILDS’s commitment to deepening democracy by promoting inclusivity in gender and youth participation in government. He mentioned that NILDS collaborates with over 60 national and international NGOs and CSOs, including KAS, UN Women, and Yiaga Africa. The director-general reiterated NILDS’s dedication to providing research briefs, data analysis, and policy interventions on critical national issues, including electoral reform, security, and social inclusivity.