Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, has reiterated the need for a mechanism to track the impacts of laws and policies on the living conditions of Nigerians.
Sulaiman, who stated this at the weekend while inaugurating the Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) unit in the institute, said that such a mechanism was fundamental in entrenching democratic values in the country.
The director-general said that PLS was necessary for legislative effectiveness, as it would strengthen the impacts of laws and policies.
According to him, the practice of PLS is even more germane for assessing the impacts of the laws being enacted by policymakers on the lives of the citizens.
He said, ” As a country, therefore, we must strive towards entrenching the values of democratic governance through ensuring that we move beyond simply having numerous laws passed, and reflect more deeply on how these improve the living condition of Nigerians through impactful legislation.
” The inauguration of a PLS Unit here at NILDS today, is a testament that the Institute is not only committed to the process of institutionalising PLS within the Nigerian legislature, but ready to provide the required technical assistance at all tiers of government in actualising this.
” I enjoin the staff that are being commissioned today to engage this critical assignment with every sense of responsibility and national duty, and consistently showcase NILDS as the legislative think-tank that it is.”
Sulaiman said that citizens were more concerned about how government policies or legislations’ had impacted them beyond the words on paper, saying this was one fundamental role of PLS.
He added that NILDS would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure the implementation of PLS in state houses of Assembly in the country.
“Under my leadership at NILDS, we will continue to provide the required support and partnership that will see PLS become a statutory obligation at all levels of the Nigerian legislature,” he said.