Ben Efeturi: Redefining the Nation's Apex Parliament Bureaucracy

The race for the exalted position of Clerk to the National Assembly is  gathering momentum not with the ugly drama that has pervaded the selection process. But a closer look at the personality of Benjamin Efeturi who is the most senior person in rank and with the support of the apparatchik of the National Assembly leadership  shows a man who has come a long way and done a lot to change the face of the bureaucracy of the nation's apex parliament especially the Senate where he has served creditably as its  Deputy Clerk and later Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly.
Born on the 3rd day of November in Delta state, Mr. Ben Efeturi never expected in life that nature will smile on him as to making him head one major government institution as the Nigerian legislative arm. He  was employed into service at a young age of 24  and showed great sense for service and patriotism in his early days. A graduate of political science with masters in international law and diplomacy, he came well prepared for the task ahead.
During the military era, the man Efeturi still remained committed to service and focused on when the country will return back to civil rule. This is why when the military handed over power and he returned back to the National Assembly, he was one of those who was looked upon to bring professionalism laden in true patriotism to the National Assembly bureaucracy. Between the year 2003 and 2005 when he was appointed deputy director and later Director in the National Assembly, his dedication to duty and the creativity he exuded endeared him to many alike something that helped propel him to Deputy Clerk to the Senate and later Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly.
As Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, the hard working and resilient Efeturi brought stability and professionalism to the office leading to commendations from members of both chambers and staff of the National Assembly. The Assembly had hitherto experienced bottle necks in the way and manner the office was run but by the time Mr. Efeturi assumed office, he brought in a fluid system of running  the affairs of the  office eliminating bottle necks that the office had earlier contended with. His creativity led to the introduction of a novel system called the electronic system in the Senate. This system which has received celebrated acclaim brought about transparency in the proceedings of the Senate especially in its voting system.
Efeturi who is married with children can best be described as an encyclopaedia of the National Assembly owing to his vast knowledge of the workings of the National Assembly. If there is anyone in the National Assembly that has the highest knowledge and ways of bringing about efficiency and effectiveness in the running of the National Assembly then the Delta state born Benjamin Efeturi stands heads and shoulders above others.
On several occasions when he served as acting CNA while Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa was on leave, Efeturi did not disappoint. He showed great knack in resolving biting issues in the National Assembly especially as it had to do with the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria PASAN, National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum NASSLAF and the Youth Corpers Forum. A compassionate technocrat and philanthropist he assisted staff personally and seeing that his personal efforts is not enough to solve the myriads of personal problems of the staff, he went ahead to initiate the Senate Welfare Scheme which has assisted a lot of staff of the Senate wing of the National Assembly prompting  members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria PASAN to implore the House of Representatives to emulate the Senate.
As the search for an acting Clerk to the National Assembly gathers momentum, Nigerians in general and staff of the National Assembly in particular are looking forward to the selection of Mr. Ben Efeturi as the acting Clerk of the National Assembly and what can be the best icing on the cake of a technocrat, dedicated husband and father as well as compassionate individual other than occupying a position he rightly deserves?