Legislative Oversight as Accountability Mechanism: The Nigerian Perspective

In Nigeria, like other countries all over the world, the legislature performs oversight functions to stop the excesses of the executive arm of government and to check wastages in governance which is considered one of the ends of democracy. Considering the great responsibility assigned by the constitution, one would expect that the legislative power would be balanced with a high degree of public accountability which is the hallmark of modern democratic governance. In this paper, the oversight functions of the legislature to scrutinize, and oversee executive action and any organ of state are brought to the front burner. It examines the constitutional provisions expressing powers of the National Assembly on oversight; current and new mechanisms for oversight and accountability; coordination amongst the spheres of government. The chapter reveals that the legislature has not lived up to the expectation of Nigerians in terms of entrenching accountable and transparent governance that will guarantee good governance for the benefit of citizens. The chapter further reveals that legislative oversight which is a crucial function of the legislature has been severally compromised and often used as a hunting dog. The paper concludes that for effective functioning, the legislature should be insulated from the influence of the executive which is sometimes counter-productive in entrenching accountable governance since such influence tends to sway the minds of the legislators from the serious business of law-making.