Lack of parliamentary books affect legislative process – Ekweremadu

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has said that the dearth of reference materials on legislative processes was a setback to the performance and development of legislative practice in Nigeria and the entire African continent.

Ekweremadu, who stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the presentation of a book, “Legislature in Changing and Challenging Times: An Analysis of the Nigerian National Assembly”, also blamed inadequate parliamentary culture, structures, and educational curricula that support legislative development on long years of military rule.

He, therefore, said the book authored by Okechukwu Okoh, the Director of Legislative Support Services, National Institute for Legislative Studies, Abuja, was a critical intervention towards the development of the nation’s legislature in particular and those of Africa in general.

He said: “This book, coming from a distinguished Professor of Law, who has also had practical experience since coming to the institute where he interacts and networks with parliamentarians on a daily basis, is in my honest estimation, about the best attempt to capture the structure, organization, problems, and challenges of the legislature in emerging democracies.

“It is a brilliant and insightful expose of the legislature, admirably providing a fresh, empirical, and in-depth vista to understanding and rating of the Nigerian legislature.”

In his remarks, the author of the book, Professor Okechukwu Oko, said the book was inspired by the need to tell the true story of the Nigerian democracy to the world.

He said: “The impression you get out there is not exactly the reality on ground. I, therefore, thought it necessary to present our challenges, progress and how we could do better.”