Assessing the Performance of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta during 7th and 8th National Assembly)

Abstract

This study assessed the performance of the 7th and 8th Senate Committees on Niger Delta Affairs focusing primarily on its oversight function. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the extent of the performance of the oversight function of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta between 2011-2019. The study also examined the effects of the activities of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta on the people of the Niger Delta region within the study period. Lastly, it identified the factors militating against the effective performance of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, and suggested strategies that would mitigate the challenges affecting the effective performance of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta. This to bridge the gap in knowledge created by the scanty literary presence of the activities of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs and its affiliate agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) during the 7th and 8th Senate. The study adopted the mixed research design relying on quantitative and qualitative data. Data sources were primary and secondary. Primary data was obtained from the administration of the questionnaire (adapted from the Collegiate Project Services [CPS] 8-Factor Model for Committee Diagnosis) while secondary data were taken from the 7th and 8th Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs sessional reports, official publications of the National Assembly, journal articles, magazines, books, the internet, etc. Purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of data and respondents while content analysis was used for the analysis of qualitative data. The quantitative data were analyzed and presented using percentages and tables. Findings revealed that the Committee undertakes its legislative tasks within the context of the traditional roles of the legislature. However, this is yet to translate to an improved project execution rate in the region, improved standard of living for the people of the Niger Delta, and so on. Consequently, the study found some reasons for the unsatisfactory performance of the committee as the inadequacy of resources, lack of cooperation between the committee and MDAs, and so on. Also, measures that would enhance the performance of the committee in the future were noted as improved cooperation between the committee and its agencies, and dedication to responsibilities, among others. Conclusively, although the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs is a critical success factor for any meaningful development in the Niger Delta region, there is a heightened concern about the dedication of the Committee to its legislative mandate given the place of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs in ensuring probity in governance on one hand and mounting allegations of corruption in MDAs such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), and so on on the other hand. Nevertheless, in the short to long term, the findings of this study if implemented, would reposition the committee for effectiveness to impact the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the Niger Delta region.