By EricJames Ochigbo

Some stakeholders have urged the 10th National Assembly to strengthen oversight functions to bolster public confidence in the democratic institutions.

They made the call in Abuja at a roundtable on ‘Best Practices and Strategies for Strengthening Legislative Oversight in Nigeria’.

The event was organised by National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).

Dr Nicholas Ossai delivered a paper titled “Identifying and Overcoming Key Challenges in Legislative Oversight in Nigeria with Emphasis on the 10th Assembly” at the event.

Ossai said that the 10th National Assembly stood at a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.

He identified institutional and structural developments, weak enforcement, poor follow-up mechanisms and excessive Executive Influence as factors inhibiting efficient oversight functions of the legislature.

Ossai, who was a member of the 7th, 8th and 9th national assembly, blamed poor oversight functions on capacity, resource constraints, corruption and integrity issues as well as low public engagement and transparency.

He recommended strengthening of the institutional and technical capacity, safeguarding oversight independence and promotion of transparency and public participation to change the tide.

“By recognising the multifaceted challenges that have historically constrained oversight effectiveness and by implementing targeted legal, institutional and procedural reforms, the assembly can make progress.

“They must strengthen the legal framework, introduce effective follow-up mechanisms and strengthen legislative independence.

“The assembly must enhance technical capacity and resources, combat corruption, foster bipartisan cooperation, strengthen committee systems, improve implementation of oversight recommendations and increase public engagement and transparency.

“The assembly must address logistical and security constraints, clarify committee roles and mandates while strengthening sanctions and enforcements on failing committees,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said that sections 88, 89, 128 and 129 of the Constitution, empowers the legislature to conduct investigations and oversight.

He, however, said that questions continued to arise over the efficiency, focus and outcomes of the oversight processes.

According to him, they have witnessed instances where oversight mechanisms have been alleged to be weakly applied, poorly coordinated and in some cases, misunderstood.

“It is, therefore, imperative that the exercise of oversight must be grounded in law, guided by evidence and implemented through functional and well-trained committees.

“It must be linked to the budget process, performance reviews, audit reports and citizen feedback,” he said.

The DG reiterated NILDS’s commitment to enhancing the capacity of legislators and their support staff through sustained training, research support and technical assistance.

He said that the goal was to ensure that legislative oversight contributes meaningfully to improved governance outcomes, public trust and national development.

Also speaking, Sen. Ita Enag, a former member of the National Assembly, blamed the state of the economy on poor oversight functions of the legislature.

He said that if the legislature does its work to ensure that what was approved was implemented well and all agencies act within the law, the country would be better.

He said that if the legislature asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation Ltd. (NNPCL) the right questions, the value of the Naira would not have fallen and revenue would have improved. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Francis Onyeukwu