By Oluyemi Israel
Legal experts, political analysts, business leaders, and government officials have urged Nigerian lawmakers and government leaders to work closely together to make and properly enforce laws that will benefit citizens.
They explained that although many constitutional amendments and laws have been made over the years, especially since 1999, these laws have often not been implemented, causing delays in progress and wasting public resources.
This call came during interviews conducted on Tuesday in cities including Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ilorin, and Ogun State.
Among those who spoke was Mr. Oluwatobi Fatoki, a legal practitioner, who emphasized that state governments must act under true federalism by implementing laws for the public good.
Mr. Adebayo Ojo, a former Attorney-General, faulted the executive arm for failing to implement laws passed by the legislature.
It was suggested by political analyst Mr. Tunji Adepeju that the National Assembly should focus more on important reforms like transitioning to a parliamentary system and ensuring rigorous oversight of the executive.
Business leaders like Dr. Isaac Abiodun and Mr. Sheriff Agbaje pointed out that the main problem is not frequent constitutional reviews but poor leadership and failure to implement existing laws.
Senior Advocate Mr. Musibau Adetunbi added that changing leaders’ attitudes towards laws is crucial for any amendment to have a positive effect.
Hon. Lukman Adeleye, Minority Leader of the Ogun State House of Assembly, gave an example of how Ogun State has taken proactive steps by passing its own Energy Law to independently manage energy, which he said will boost industrial growth.
However, he noted that while some progress has been made, many states still do not fully implement financial autonomy for their legislatures, largely due to resistance from governors.
An Ilorin-based legal practitioner, AbdulGaniyu Bello, said the failure to implement laws is politically driven, with local governments often controlled by state governors, limiting their independence.
Overall, the respondents agreed that lawmakers must make laws, judges must interpret them, and executives must implement them.
Holding leaders accountable and allowing local governments to operate freely would help improve governance in Nigeria.