By EricJames Ochigbo
National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has inaugurated a specialised lecture series to bridge critical gaps in drafting effective subsidiary legislations in Nigeria’s regulatory and enforcement landscape.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative is targetted at building the capacity of legal officers in the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among other law enforcement agencies.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja on Tuesday, Director-General of the institute, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said that the strategic intervention was to address long-standing deficiencies in the technical quality of regulations used by enforcement institutions.
According to him, in any constitutional democracy, the rule of law is not merely a guiding principle but the bedrock of governance, security and social order.
The professor said that while primary legislation outlined overarching policy frameworks and legal mandates, it is subsidiary legislation that would breathe life into those mandates.
He explained that the subsidiary legislation provides the clarity, detail and mechanisms required for their practical enforcement and operational efficiency.
“Deficits in technical drafting expertise have, too often, resulted in vague, inconsistent or legally-defective regulations. These flaws create administrative bottlenecks, enforcement lapses and sometimes expensive litigation.
“While acts of parliament provide the legal foundation, it is subsidiary legislation that ensures those laws function efficiently on the ground.
“Therefore, a failure to draft them properly compromises both justice and institutional credibility,” he stated.
Sulaiman expressed the need for legal officers within the armed forces and other law enforcement bodies to have the mastery of the drafting of subsidiary legislation.
“It is essential, not only for ensuring compliance with constitutional and statutory provisions but also for safeguarding institutional integrity, enhancing operational coherence and avoiding legal ambiguities that could compromise justice or public confidence,” he said.
The director-general said that the workshop aimed not only to sharpen participants’ legal drafting skills but also to empower institutions to operate with clearer mandates, improved coherence and stronger public accountability.
He said that participants would be trained by an elite faculty of senior legal scholars, Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other legislative experts assembled by NILDS to provide both theoretical insights and practical strategies for regulatory development.
The director-general urged participants to fully engage in the sessions, describing the training as an opportunity not only for professional growth but also for strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law in the country.
A Legal Officer at Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Gideon Madaki, said that the training was very important and that it came at a very critical time.
Madaki said that with the recent amendment of the NCS Act, the process of subsidiary legislation for effective implementation was ongoing.
“We are among those who will be drafting the subsidiary legislations and regulations; this training came at the right time.
“My expectations are high; I’m expecting a lot: to understand the rules of drafting, the modern techniques to stick to when drafting rules and regulations,” he said.
Also speaking, a Legal Officer at Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Mr Umar Ibrahim, said that the training was very important, as it would sharpen their legal and administrative skills.
He commended the director-general and facilitators for the training, describing it as “a well-reasoned” initiative to boost drafting of legislations for effective governance in the country. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq
