INSTITUTIONALIZING LEGISLATIVE EXPERTISE IN NIGERIA: A CASE FOR THE NEED TO ESTABLISH A MANDATORY PRE-SERVICE LEGISLATIVE TRAINING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR INTENDING LEGISLATORS

Abstract

Parliamentary performance in Nigeria since the Fourth Republic has remained weak even after over 

24 years of uninterrupted democracy. This weakness has been largely attributed to high legislative 

turnover and the perceived absence of a formal mechanism for preparing intending legislators 

before assumption of office. The central argument of this study therefore is that electoral victory 

alone does not equip a person to function effectively as a lawmaker. It believed that legislating is a 

technical work that requires specialized knowledge of constitutional procedure, bill drafting, 

committee practice, budget oversight and representation. This study however empirically examines 

the need to institutionalize mandatory pre-election training certification for intending legislators. 

Adopting a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from INEC election records 1999–2023, 

NILDS and PLAC reports and 38 semi-structured interviews with federal and state legislators, 

legislative staff, and governance experts. Findings reveal that 76% of first-term legislators spent 

12–16 months of a 48-month tenure learning basic parliamentary procedures. 83% of respondents 

linked weak oversight, poor bill quality and executive dominance to lack of pre-entry legislative 

knowledge. Anchored on Institutional Theory, Human Capital Theory and learning curve Theory, 

the study concludes that legislative expertise is a technical requirement. The study acknowledges 

that while NILDS provides post-election induction, respondents noted that this comes rather too late 

to prevent early inefficiencies. 87.5% of the respondents supported making pre-election training 

certification a mandatory requirement for INEC nomination. The study concludes that Nigeria's 

legislature needs prepared representatives not just elected representatives. High turnover makes 

post-election training insufficient. Drawing on global best practices from the UK, South Africa and 

Kenya the study recommends a constitutional amendment to Sections 65 and 106 of the CFRN 1999 

and an amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 to make the proposed pre-election legislative 

certification a mandatory requirement qualification for parliamentary office. This will reduce the 

learning curve, preserve institutional memory, and improve the quality of lawmaking and oversight 

in Nigeria.