Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Rawlings Agada, has been appointed to the position of Clerk of Senate.
Agada’s appointment was contained in a letter signed by the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission [NASC], Chief Saviour Enyiekere.
The decision to appoint Agada as clerk Senate was taken at the commission’s 7th meeting, held on the 6th of August, 2025.
As deputy Clerk Senate, Agada had effectively guided the leadership of the Senate during plenary sessions.
He played a utilitarian role in filling the gaps created by the glaring incompetence of the immediate past clerk of Senate, Mr Andrew Nwoba at some critical intersections.
When the situation got to a head, the Senate President, Dr Godswill Akpabio, had recommended and approved a month-refresher course in chamber administration for Nwoba.
While he was away, Agada stepped in as acting Senate Clerk and was adjudged brilliant by the Senate President.
Agada, going by the consensus of members of the Senate, was considered exemplary in his understanding and interpretation of the Senate rules.
The Senate leadership had retained Agada in Nwoba’s stead even after he [Nwoba] rounded off his refresher course as he could still not up his ante even when his job was on the evidently line.
The quiet decision by the Senate President to draft Agada to serve as interim clerk of the Senate enjoyed the approbation of the Senate.
Agada’s intelligence, charisma, competence, capacity, and pluck endeared him to the Senate leadership and Akpabio in particular.
Sources close to the office of the Senate President and the Senate said Agada was one of National Assembly’s finest brains at the moment and would, unfortunately, be exiting the service soon.
Whereas, a source disclosed that the search for a competent replacement for Agada has already begun, there were hints that the Senate leadership may seek to extend his service year a little longer to enable the Senate institution benefit a little bit more from his legislative legerdemain.
A possibility of the Senate leadership seeking the understanding of the NASC to forge a contractual deal with Agada for an extension of service not more than one year after his due resignation date is in the offing.
The contract deal, as learnt, is a way to expand the frontiers of mentorship and allow Agada to contribute adequately robustly to the institutional memory of stabilising legacy contributions of the Clerks at the table.
Agada, according to some staff members, is one of the most senior, experienced and versatile officers that the national assembly can boast of, and that, every effort must be done to preserve and tap from his wealth of experience as it were.
