The National Assembly and democratic sustenance in Nigeria: A literature perspective
Keywords:
National Assembly, Representation, Democratic Sustenance, NigeriaAbstract
This paper examined the challenges confronting the National Assembly and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. The study was motivated by the glaring case of failure of the National Assembly to promote the representative principle of democracy and good
governance, reflected on the wide gap existing between government and the citizens. The objective of this paper was to highlight the factors hindering the Nigerian National Assembly from performing its role as the apex representative institution from the
electioneering period to policy making and implementation; and to provide some recommendations. This study anchored on the social contract theory to explain the role of the National Assembly in governance. The paper adopted historical method and other
secondary sources for data collection, while descriptive analysis was applied. However, the study was limited by the inability to directly access the National Assembly members for questioning. Nevertheless, analysis was made and conclusion drawn based on available data and the obvious non-participatory political and governance process, as well as the deplorable socio-economic conditions of the masses. Findings showed that factors such as party-loyalty, rise of big government, poor leadership, growth of powerful interests and media groups, institutional weaknesses, etc have hampered the performance of the National Assembly. Recommendations include the following: adherence to democratic principles, observe globally accepted ethical conduct for assembly members, a value reorientation from ‘party assembly’ to ‘peoples’ assembly’, strengthening democratic institutions and promoting good governance through participation, adherence to rule of law, responsiveness, transparency, consensus, equity and inclusiveness among others. The paper thereafter, concluded that the National Assembly needs to be strategic for its role because the pride of any democracy would largely depend on the extent of its representativeness.
