https://ir.nilds.gov.ng//handle/123456789/29 2026-06-09T23:05:49Z 2026-06-09T23:05:49Z Hassan, Yerima Udefuna, Patrick N. Nandi, Livinus A. https://ir.nilds.gov.ng//handle/123456789/3508 2026-03-25T12:29:22Z 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z

Tackling Escalating Food Insecurity in Nigeria: The Urgent Need for Legislative Intervention Hassan, Yerima; Udefuna, Patrick N.; Nandi, Livinus A. Nigeria, often regarded as the giant of Africa, faces persistent food insecurity deepened by climate variability, ongoing insecurity, and heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture. The country is ranked 110th out of 127 countries in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, projected to have over 35 million people experiencing acute food insecurity in 2026 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Out-of season farming offers a vital opportunity to mitigate this crisis by enabling year-round food production. However, its widespread adoption is hindered by limited access to irrigation facilities, agricultural inputs, and technical expertise. Additionally, climate-related shocks such as floods, persistent conflicts, inadequate infrastructure, and poor availability of essential resources further aggravate the acute food production and restrict the potential of out-of-season farming. In view of this, the following recommendations are proposed:  The National Assembly (NASS) may wish to increase allocations for agricultural development, nutrition initiatives, and social protection schemes in the national budget. This bolsters critical frameworks such as the National Multi-Sectoral Plan for Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN), which requires over ₦262 billion to achieve its objectives.  Legislators may wish to enact legislation that provide legal protections for farmers confronting insurgencies, ethnic disputes, and soaring input expenses, especially in precarious areas such as Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states. Strategies may encompass farmland defense, funding and scrutiny of agricultural initiative shortfalls.  Lawmakers may wish to amend agricultural laws to heighten output, aid smallholder farmers, and advance climate-resilient methods despite insecurity and environmental shifts. This entails promoting tech integration through frameworks like the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) 2022–2027.  NASS should mandate the creation of systematic data collection and monitoring frameworks to track progress regarding farming activities, outputs, and challenges, supporting evidence-based policymaking and targeted interventions.

2026-02-01T00:00:00Z Nandi, Livinus A. Obot, Etimbuk Udefuna, Patrick https://ir.nilds.gov.ng//handle/123456789/3507 2026-03-25T12:28:42Z 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z

Strengthening the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act to Protect Nigerian Children from Educational Exclusion and Child Exploitation Nandi, Livinus A.; Obot, Etimbuk; Udefuna, Patrick Executive Summary Despite the enactment of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act, 2004, Nigeria continues to face a severe out-of-school children (OOSC) crisis, with approximately 18.3 million children reportedly excluded from formal education. Urban centres such as Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt, along with other states, still experience widespread child hawking and street trading, exposing children to road accidents, exploitation, trafficking, and recruitment into criminal activities. These practices violate children’s rights and contravene statutory obligations under the UBE Act. The persistence of out-of-school children reveals a significant enforcement gap. Current fines under the UBE Act, 2004, ranging from N2,000 to N10,000, are nominal and fail to deter non-compliance. They are disconnected from current economic realities and the gravity of the offence, as offenders may comfortably absorb these penalties without meaningful consequences, thereby weakening the law’s intent. International experience demonstrates that meaningful compliance requires strong enforcement and proportionate sanctions. In Germany, parents may be fined up to €2,500 for non-compliance, while France applies escalating fines and imprisonment for repeated violations. Countries such as Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, and China also link criminal liability directly to breaches of compulsory education laws. These examples illustrate the effectiveness of clear legal obligations, graduated penalties, and enforceable accountability mechanisms in ensuring children’s rights to education. To address this challenge, the National Assembly, through the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) and the House Committee on Basic Education Services, are kindly urged to: 1. Review and amend the UBE Act, 2004, with particular emphasis on revising fines and penalties for parents, guardians, and other individuals who deny children access to compulsory basic education, ensuring that sanctions are meaningful and act as effective deterrents. 2. Introduce graduated penalties for repeated violations, including higher monetary fines, mandatory community service, or parental education programmes, particularly for cases involving child hawking and persistent non-enrolment of school-age children. 3. Mandate clearer enforcement responsibilities by calling on collaboration between education authorities, law enforcement agencies, child protection services, and the judiciary to ensure consistent prosecution of violations under the Act. 4. Call on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to implement comprehensive public education and behavioural-change campaigns aimed at parents and guardians, particularly in rural communities, to promote compliance with compulsory basic education requirements, discourage child labour practices, and reinforce education as a critical tool for national development.

2026-02-01T00:00:00Z Hassan, Yerima Udefuna, Patrick N. Uduije, Paul https://ir.nilds.gov.ng//handle/123456789/3506 2026-03-25T12:27:23Z 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z

Security Agencies Abuse of Detention Powers: Time for Legislative Safeguards Hassan, Yerima; Udefuna, Patrick N.; Uduije, Paul Nigerian security agencies are essential for upholding law and order, national security, and citizen safety. Yet, their frequent misuse of detention powers through arbitrary arrests, prolonged pre-trial custody, and flouting of constitutional limits undermines democratic governance, erodes public trust, and fuels human rights abuses. Unchecked authority not only fosters systemic abuse and weakens the rule of law but also enables political repression disguised as security measures, jeopardizing Nigeria's democratic stability and good governance. These brief urges legislative safeguards, including stronger judicial oversight, parliamentary accountability, and independent monitoring, to balance security needs with fundamental rights. In view of this, the following recommendations are proposed: o The National Assembly Committee on Police Affairs may wish to enforce the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) adherence by requiring monthly police reports on arraignment timelines. It should further recommend budgetary sanctions against non-compliant commands to deter prolonged unlawful detentions. o Introduce Enforceable Sanctions and Budgetary Controls: National Assembly should tie security agencies’ appropriations to measurable compliance with detention safeguards, impose budgetary restrictions for persistent violations, and criminalize disobedience of court orders with mandatory contempt proceedings. o NASS should intensify its oversight of the National Human Rights Commission to ensure that it carry out effective inspection and reporting of abuse of detention powers by security and intelligence agencies. NHRC should also implement a centralized digital custody and bail tracking system to prevent manipulation, delay, and unlawful prolonged detention.

2026-03-01T00:00:00Z Ngara, Chris Ejalonibu, Ganiyu AbdulRafiu, Mustapha Obot, Etimbuk E Bemgba, Paul Sada, Maryam Akinde, Zainab https://ir.nilds.gov.ng//handle/123456789/3504 2026-03-25T12:26:30Z 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z

Overlapping Mandates of Legislative Committees in Nigeria’s 10th House of Representatives: Implications for Oversight Effectiveness Ngara, Chris; Ejalonibu, Ganiyu; AbdulRafiu, Mustapha; Obot, Etimbuk E; Bemgba, Paul; Sada, Maryam; Akinde, Zainab This Policy Brief examines overlapping mandates among Standing Committees of the 10th House of Representatives and their implications for legislative oversight effectiveness. Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, the committee system has expanded significantly, growing from 72 committees in the 4th Assembly to 199 in the 10th Assembly, including Parliamentary Friendship Groups. While this expansion reflects evolving policy demands and broader legislative participation, it has raised concerns about duplication of functions, intersecting supervisory responsibilities, and clarity of oversight authority. Unlike reform initiatives within the executive branch, the internal structure of the legislature has received limited empirical scrutiny. The study focused on committees overseeing four strategic sectors (Petroleum, Education, Health, and Security) due to their fiscal significance, policy complexity, and relevance to national development priorities. Analysis of committee mandates, drawn from the House Standing Orders and complemented by key informant interviews, revealed that functional overlaps exist, particularly in the Petroleum, Education, and Health sectors, where multiple committees supervise related institutions or policy areas. The Security sector exhibited fewer instances of overlap, though intersecting responsibilities were still observed. Broadly framed mandate provisions and incremental committee growth without systematic rationalisation were observed to have contributed to ambiguity, administrative strain on MDAs, and occasional duplication of oversight activities. The research noted that while limited overlap can provide the benefit of multiple perspectives in legislative scrutiny, uncoordinated duplication risks repetitive hearings, fragmented reporting, diffusion of accountability, and increased compliance costs on MDAs. The findings do not suggest systemic structural failure but indicate the need for targeted rationalisation and improved inter committee coordination in areas where overlaps are most pronounced. In light of these findings, the National Assembly, through the House Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation of Standing and Ad Hoc Committees, may wish to consider the following recommendations: ● Review and streamline existing committee mandates to identify and remove functional overlaps. Where multiple committees supervise related ministries or agencies, consolidation should be considered to improve coherence and reduce administrative burden. The review may also determine where issues can be better managed through temporary ad hoc committees rather than permanent standing structures. This approach will enhance flexibility while ensuring that standing committees retain focused, non-duplicative mandates. ● Develop a formal coordination framework to promote collaboration and communication among committees with related mandates. This mechanism may include shared oversight calendars, regular coordination meetings, and the designation of lead committees for cross sector issues. Such an arrangement can prevent repetitive oversight activities, promote the exchange of information, and produce more coherent oversight reports. ● Introduce a centralised digital oversight management platform for recording committee activities, reports, and executive responses. This system can enhance institutional memory, prevent multiple committees from issuing identical requests to MDAs, and strengthen follow-up and accountability tracking. ● Review the Standing Orders to clearly delineate the scope of each committee’s functions, specify procedures for handling overlapping issues, and formalise conditions under which joint oversight may be conducted. Codifying these provisions will establish a legal and procedural basis for coordination, ensuring efficiency and predictability in legislative oversight. ● Institutionalise continuous capacity-building programmes for committee clerks and secretariat staff, focusing on coordination practices, communication management, data sharing, and collaborative reporting. Strengthening capacity at this level may support effective inter-committee cooperation and ensure oversight processes are evidence-based and well-coordinated. By implementing these measures, the House of Representatives can further enhance oversight coherence, reduce duplication of effort, and strengthen the effectiveness of its constitutional mandate in governance.

2026-02-01T00:00:00Z