The 9th Assembly has launched a publication to deepen engagement between citizens and the legislative arm of government focused on addressing the multidimensional problems currently confronting the country due to the pandemic, as well as setting agenda for Post Covid-19 Nigeria.
Recently launched in the maiden edition of Legislative Intelligence Forecast Entry (LIFE), the publication entitled: ‘Parliaments and Pandemic: Shifts in Citizen Participation and Inclusion: A Prognosis on Nigeria Post COVID-19’ examined how the 9th Assembly has reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic so far since it struck the country.
It also proffered useful insights into how the pandemic has shifted paradigm in business and at the sub-national levels, providing suggestions on how the country going forward can embrace the new normal forced on humanity by the Coronavirus crisis by learning from what other nations of the world are doing right.
Reviewing the publication,
Chief of Staff to the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Otive Igbuzor said: “The publication by Order Paper Parliaments and Pandemic: Shifts in Citizen Participation and Inclusion: A Prognosis on Nigeria’s Post COVID-19 is a beautiful addition to the contemporary literature on Nigerian legislature.
“The publication contains a lot of information that will be useful not only to legislators but to anyone interested in deepening of democracy in Nigeria. More importantly, it contains practical suggestions on how the Nigerian parliament can ensure citizen participation during this period of COVID-19 and the new normal in the post-COVID-19 era.
“I strongly recommend the publication to all legislators at the national and sub-national levels and indeed to anyone interested in the progress of Nigerian legislature and democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
Breaking down crucial sections of the 51-page publication, Igbuzor noted that they’re divided into five chapters.
According to him, “Chapter one is the background. It traces the history of the legislature to the legislative council of 1861 during the colonial era. It describes the legislature as provided for in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) with focus on the 9th assembly and legislative governance of the health sector. It also describes the corona virus and Nigeria’s national public health institution created by law in 2018 to deal with such pandemic-the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“Chapter two deals with National Assembly’s reaction to COVID-19 including motions, bills and engagement with the executive. Chapter three is a comprehensive analysis looking at the response of Parliaments across the world to the pandemic and lessons for Nigeria. The countries examined included Argentina, Chile, Brazil, United Kingdom, Cape Verde, Tanzania, Tunisia, South Africa, United States of America, Australia, Canada, Germany and Ghana.
“Chapter four examines the question of citizen participation situating it within the context of the Infectious Diseases Bill and the need for a shift from the normal. Chapter five titled Windows for citizen engagement in a new world argues for online engagement to bridge the gap between citizen and the National Assembly.”
Dr. Igbuzor, who is the Chief of Staff to the DSP, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, while stressing the importance of legislature in modern democracy, bemoaned how the legislature in Nigeria has over the years become the “weakest among the three arms of government (Executive, Judiciary and Legislature) because of the impact of military rule and historic interference from the executive.
“This is why this initiative by OrderPaper is commendable and worthy of emulation. The focus of LIFE is very timely. The pandemic of corona virus is ravaging the world and met governments, institutions and individuals unprepared. The challenge of citizen participation and inclusion is engaging all lovers of democracy across the world.”
He, however, stated that the 9th House of Representatives and 9th Senate have developed legislative agenda that has continued to address issues of reform, voice and accountability; citizen participation; inclusion and oversight focusing on many key areas and sectors.
“Over the years, NASS has responded to the need for citizen participation and inclusion through constituency engagement, public hearing on bills, national public hearing on annual budget and one-week programme of OPEN NASS every year. But COVID-19 presents new challenges to citizen participation and inclusion which makes this intervention by OrderPaper very timely,” Dr. Igbuzor stated.
