The need for impactful laws in the Nigerian society came under focus at the gathering of stakeholders Thursday in Abuja.
The Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Architect Ojo Amos Olatunde, Director General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies ( NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman were among stakeholders who harped on the subject.
Specifically, they stressed that Post Legislative Scrutiny ( PLS) will help in achieving that.
The stakeholders spoke in Abuja at a jointly organised seminar by NILDS and Westminster Foundation for Democracy ( WFD) on “Strengthening the Impact of Laws in Nigeria through Post Legislative Scrutiny”.
The CNA in his goodwill message said the importance of Post Legislative Scrutiny ( PLS), cannot be overemphasized, saying it is the required mechanism of measuring the impactfulness of laws passed.
“Legislative compliance committees set up by both chambers of the National Assembly should be replicated at the State level” he said.
Also speaking, the Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly, Hon Abdullahi Bawa Wuse who represented the Chairman of Conference of Speakers, Hon Abubakar Sulaiman, said the seminar was apt and timely.
According to him, most of the laws in Nigeria are lying fallow, requiring reforms or reviews to be impactful and good governance facilitating.
He commended WFD for coming up with the concept of Post Legislative Scrutiny ( PLS) will help to re -direct the laws for societal growth and development.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director General of NILDS, Professor Sulaiman said “Country experiences show that PLS is taking root as an integral component of parliamentary oversight.
“An institutionalised Post-Legislative Scrutiny creates the environment for the Nigerian legislature in particular, and the government as a whole, to go the extra mile to ensure that the laws they pass for Nigerians have real impact on their social, economic and political realities.
“Parliament, thus, can deliberately put triggers in place to ensure that existing legislation are scrutinised periodically while creating specific and systematic approaches to achieve this”.
