The National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) has described as dismal, the low turnover of legislators in Nigeria’s states and the National Assembly.
In a post election report, the Director General of the institute, Dr Ladi Hamalai, said the trend poses a serious risk to Nigeria’s democracy and good governance.
Dr. Hamalai said the re-election of legislators dropped from the average 30 per cent in previous years to 16 per cent, a situation which she said makes continuity in law making process difficult, contrary to what is obtainable in advanced countries with up to 80 per cent re-election rate.
She said lack of high level institutionalisation of the democratic process, transparency in governance and failure to ensure open and genuinely competitive election, were hindering the achievement of the the needed sustainability and continuity in the legislature.
According to Dr. Hamalai, the institute runs into a constant need for training and orientation for new lawmakers, most of which take close to two years before the lawmakers get accustomed to the plenary proceedings and oversight duties that make up legislative duties in Nigeria.
