The Role of the Legislature in Modern Democracy: Effectiveness and Challenges of the 8th Senate in the Nigerian National Assembly, 2015 – 2019

Abstract

This research work was designed to examine “The role of the legislature in modern democracy: effectiveness and challenges of the 8th Senate in the Nigerian National Assembly. The objectives of the study include; to evaluate the role of the legislature in modern democracy and to examine the effectiveness and challenges of the 8th Senate in the Nigerian National Assembly.

The study adopts the principal-Agent theory and uses survey design method for data collection. Data was sourced from both primary and secondary sources. The data collected was presented in tabular form and analyzed in accordance with the responses from the questionnaires administered.

The finding revealed that, the 8th Senate legislature in the Nigerian National Assembly plays a vital role in modern democracy through law-making, representation, oversight and many others. And their roles and functions actually contributed in the development of modern democracy in Nigeria but would have done more if not for the challenges they encountered while discharging their duties.

The study concluded and recommended that, despite the total number of bills passed and other positive roles carried out by the 8th Senate in the Nigerian National Assembly, it did not in any way bring transformative changes that will address citizens because there is still unemployment on the side of the electorate (citizens) and the modern democracy in Nigeria today is a mere theory due to insecurity, banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. And

there should be constitutional amendment that will bring about zoning of leadership in various positions to reflect in the Upper Chamber (Senate) because it was the election that brought the Senate President and his Deputy Senate President caused the genesis of the challenges the 8th Senate encountered in the Nigerian National Assembly.