The Role of the National Assembly in Sustenance of Democracy in Nigeria

The legislature of any nation occupies a central position and plays a major role in the machinery of government in a democratic state.

The parliament is primarily vested with the power to make laws. The arm of government also enjoys some discretionary powers to shape and influence public policy.

Thus, the legislature of any nation is traditionally treated with special respect and put in a prime status as the democratic face of an elected government. The significance of the legislature in a democracy is further underscored by the fact that they are composed of politicians who represent the people rather than trained or career government officials.

These representatives of the people meet in an assembly to debate government policies and major issues of national importance in a given period in a year as provided for in the constitution.

In Nigeria, the legislature, known as the National Assembly, has developed through successive institutional orientations beginning from the Amalgamation of 1914, the independence constitution of 1960, the republican constitution of 1963, to its present stage. The development of the National Assembly is intertwined with the history of modern Nigeria and its institutional development.

Before independence in 1960, the legislature, under the colonial rule, was a mere advisory body with no authority to influence any policy decision. The ineffectiveness of the body was largely due to its composition as most of the members were appointed by the governor or represented the interest of the metropolitan government. The legislative body was thus a mere debating body which could not make any outstanding change aimed at adequate representation.

At independence in 1960, Nigeria practiced the parliamentary system of government for six years before the January 1966 military intervention.  On return to democracy in 1979, the country adopted the presidential model of democracy in which the principle of separation of powers became more pronounced.

The legislature, because of its closeness to the people, is widely recognized as the most crucial institution in a democracy. Apart from representing the people and making laws, the Legislature also performs oversight functions.

Section 4, Sub-section one of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, stipulates that the National Assembly consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate comprises 109 Senators representing three Senatorial Districts of each of the 36 States of the Federation and one Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The House of Representatives is made up of 360 House members, representing the federal constituencies. This Section of the 1999 constitution gives the authority to the legislature to create, modify, amend and repeal laws and even amend the constitution.

Another significant power of the legislature in a democracy is the power of appropriation. No funds from Nigeria’s consolidated revenue fund can be allocated for spending without appropriation by the National Assembly.

The National Assembly in Nigeria also performs oversight functions through its standing and ad-hoc committees. The standing committees oversee relevant ministries, departments and agencies of government, while the ad-hoc committees are created for specific assignments and dissolved afterward. The oversight functions enable the National Assembly to hold MDAs accountable to the public over allocated funds in a budget circle.

The National Assembly also possesses investigative power as enshrined in Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution. These sections empower the National Assembly to summon individuals or authorities for investigations to address lapses in government or to expose corruption.

With the return of democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has had six consecutive legislatures in the past 25 years. Like the past legislatures, the current National Assembly, referred to as the 10th Assembly since Nigeria attained independence 64 years ago is asserting these powers to strengthen and enhance democracy in Nigeria.

The Senate President, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, provide leadership that engages in robust legislative debates aimed at meeting the yearning of Nigerians.

As Nigeria celebrates sixty-four years of independence and twenty-five years of unbroken democracy, the National Assembly has a singular responsibility to continue to legislate for accelerated development of the nation.

This constitutional duty would not be easily carried out without the support of other arms of government and Nigerians who elected them to function and support the reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

These responsibilities when discharged would continue to make Nigeria great and achieve its development objectives after 64 years of independence and occupy its rightful place in the comity of nations.