PUBLIC HEARINGS AND INSIGHTS ON CITIZENS LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY ENGAGEMENTS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Muyideen MORENIGBADE

Public participation in the legislative process is a culmination of a process, comprising a series of consultations, through questionnaires, interviews, workshops and a national conference.

The Nigerian Constitution is for the security and welfare of the people, this is met through the 3-arm structure of government consisting of the executive, legislature and the judiciary.

For the legislature whose primary purpose is to make laws, the Nigerian constitution as amended also sets some principles for lawmaking. Central to the principles for law making in Nigeria are inclusivity and respect for human rights.

The Nigerian constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, safeguards the participation of people in their government and also requires laws to be made with respect to human rights. As a safeguard for inclusive government processes, chapter II of the Nigerian constitution as amended also assures the participation of the people in their government.

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have no directly assigned role to play in Constitutional Alteration by the 1999 Constitution. However, civil society groups often mobilise public participation and create awareness of the amendment process. This is considered to be key to inclusive constitution-making. It is widely believed that the outcome of any reform process that is not inclusive or transparent, particularly in a country as diverse as Nigeria, runs the risk of being rejected by citizens. As a result, CSOs are usually at the forefront of mobilizing action by members of the public in support or against amendment proposals pertaining to their interests. This can be through the submission of memoranda on a subject matter or even through public protests.

In February, I had the opportunity to attend with the Civil Society Coalition on the promotion of good causes interventions in Nigeria, the public hearing on a “Bill for an Act to repeal the National Lottery Act proceeds in Nigeria. No. 7, 2005 and the National Lottery (Amendment) Act No. 6,2017” and enact the National Gaming Bill to regulate the operation and business of gaming in Nigeria and enhance revenue generation for the Government of the federation to complement the funding gap of the commission and for related matters (BB, 1288) held at the National Assembly via its House of Representatives Committee on Governmental Affairs public.

In a 10-page document which serves as a memorandum entitled, “civil society coalition on the promotion of good causes interventions in Nigeria through lottery proceeds” presented to the House Committee on Governmental Affairs public hearing, the Coalition noted that its memorandum reflected the critical voices under the auspices of National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for the promotion good causes interventions through lottery proceeds in Nigeria.

While the bill was about the increase in revenue generation from the government, the coalition hopes the revenue can be channelled towards goods causes that will benefit the citizens thus acting as a representative of the masses.

Another public hearing I had the opportunity to attend was for “A bill to establish National Social Security Commission” organized by the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services, which took place at the National Assembly (NASS) complex. The bill was well received by the NGOs present as it is a bill that would benefit the old dependent population.
As many legislators fail to perform needs assessments, the input from CSOs can’t be overemphasized as they represent the interest of the masses.

Muyideen MORENIGBADE writes from GGT