Abstract

The concepts of democracy and governance have come to occupy a more “prominent position in the discourse of national and international development”. They have become key notions in which “citizens can have a more active role” which should enhance their positive view of the “increase legitimacy of the state”. As a matter of fact, both concepts are inseparable from the existential characteristics of all political animals all over the world.  They continue to determine the “democratic political arrangement” and, dictate the landscapes and operational nerves of all civilized democratic polities in today’s ICT-driven world particularly in terms of the functional performance of the horizontal organs of government which have increasingly gained prominence vis-à-vis public policy and responsive service delivery.
One of the critical components/units of these horizontal organs is the Legislature.  The Legislature constitutes a cardinal part of the major pillars of the governance process in the democratic political systems of today’s world, Nigeria inclusive. Thus, this paper generally examines the challenges and impediments faced in Nigeria by the legislature over the years and concludes with the prescriptions for better legislative political terrains and the steps to be taken to make the Legislature in Nigeria more relevant to the sustenance of the ingredients and values of democracy and good governance.  

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