Oyo State House of assembly has been selected as a pioneer state assembly in Nigeria in the establishment of a newly introduced legislative unit that would evaluate the implementation of laws passed by state assemblies.
Director, democracy and governance, National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies, Professor Adewale Aderemi disclosed this at a two day capacity building on Post-Legislative Scrutiny, PLS, for Oyo assembly lawmakers, parliamentary staff and aides, organized in collaboration with Westminster Foundation for Democracy, held in Ibadan.
Professor Aderemi who said the initiative is a new legislative procedure which is of both monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of laws after 3 to 5 years they have been passed into law, explained that Oyo State was selected as a pilot state because of the position of the Rt Hon Adebo Ogundoyin as the chairman, Nigeria conference of speakers and his progressive leadership in the assembly.
While urging the leadership of the House to institutionalize the Post Legislative Scrutiny procedure with legal framework, funding and training, Professor Aderemi said the initiative which has been in practice in developed countries would be extended to other states of the federation.
Also speaking, the country director, Westminster Foundation For Democracy, Mr Adebowale Olorunmola said the PLS was aimed at achieving a robust legislative process in Nigeria by bringing a new tool that is being used globally.
Mr. Olorunmola admonished Oyo assembly to embrace the new legislative procedure and make it a part of their working tools in the state, noting that the initiative will help assemblies to be proactive in their legislative duties.
He said “You’ll agree with me that social order is maintained by the efficacy of laws and what PLS is going to be doing is to ensure that our laws are relevant to the context per time, so that there will be order in the society.
“What does PLS do, it looks at the law, after like two to three years of passing it, to see whether it is meeting the objective of which it was passed, and secondly if there are all intended consequences that came about as a result of the passage of the law”
Earlier, while declaring the workshop opened, clerk of the house, Mrs. Taiwo Akinola said the post legislative scrutiny symbolizes a forward thinking approach to legislative excellence and would enable state assemblies to identify gaps, propose amendments, and hold implementing agencies accountable
Mrs. Akinola said “There is no doubt that institutionalizing PLS will not only enhance the quality of our legislative outputs but also solidify public confidence in the legislature as a vital arm of government.
“This process creates a feedback channel that fosters accountability, transparency, and evidence- based decision making. Furthermore, PLS is a global best practice, and its institutionalization will position the Oyo State House of Assembly as a pacesetter in legislative innovation in Nigeria.
At the Two-day event which ends on Wednesday, 4th December, 2024, participants were grouped into smaller clusters for brainstorming during technical sessions
