Cash for legislative approval, By Dakuku Peterside 

Democracy thrives on transparency, accountability, and the rule of regulation. The legislature, because the guardian of democratic governance, performs a vital function in lawmaking, price range approval, and oversight. These capabilities be sure that authorities insurance policies align with the general public curiosity, assets are allotted equitably, and the manager stays accountable. Nonetheless, legislative corruption, significantly the trade of cash for laws, undermines democracy, distorts policymaking, and erodes public belief in governance. Corruption within the legislature is a discount of the sanctity of the legislature itself and a discount of its credibility.

In Nigeria, the escalating difficulty of legislative corruption is a trigger for rapid concern. Public confidence in authorities establishments is quickly eroding as lawmakers are perceived to prioritize private achieve over nationwide improvement. At a current Buyers roundtable convened by the workplace of the Vice President, issues had been raised in regards to the Nationwide Meeting’s obstructive stance in the direction of enterprise. Equally, at a civil society gathering, individuals alleged that the tenth Nationwide Meeting trades freely in laws and legislative approval.

Latest allegations, such because the 2025 Funds Scandal — the place the Senate Committee on Tertiary Schooling and TETFUND allegedly demanded N8 million from every college vice chancellor for price range approval — spotlight the systemic nature of bribery. With 60 federal universities concerned, this equates to N480 million diverted from schooling to corruption. College directors, already scuffling with restricted budgets, are left with no alternative however to conform, exacerbating the disaster within the schooling sector.

The difficulty extends past schooling. Overseas traders report that legislative hostility and calls for for illicit funds deter enterprise. A 2023 World Financial institution report ranked Nigeria 131st out of 190 in ease of doing enterprise, citing bureaucratic corruption as a big impediment. These corrupt practices not solely discourage overseas funding but in addition stifle financial progress, underscoring the pressing want for financial reforms.

Civil society organisations have performed a vital function in exposing and difficult the tenth Nationwide Meeting’s corrupt practices. They’ve accused the Meeting of overtly demanding money or contracts earlier than approving authorities tasks and payments. This normalisation of corruption alerts a harmful shift in governance, the place monetary incentives dictate coverage selections relatively than nationwide pursuits. When bribery turns into a prerequisite for legislative approval, insurance policies that would improve financial improvement and social welfare are both delayed or distorted, in the end harming the overall populace.

Corruption in Nigeria’s legislature has deep historic roots. Throughout the Second Republic (1979–1983), legislators had been accused of accepting bribes to affect nationwide insurance policies. Analysis performed in 1996 by Dr Okonkwo Cletus Ugwu has this to say in regards to the 1979-83 set of legislators: “The manager used different patronages like allocation of plots and distributorship to lure among the Legislators into dancing to its tune.” This historic context of corruption within the legislature underscores the necessity for long-term options to this pervasive difficulty.

Corruption within the legislative arm of presidency in Nigeria was not totally the results of the legislators’ actions. In 1980, on the inception of the second republic, chief executives or heads of the manager arm of presidency on the federal and state ranges launched what was known as “Meeting liaison officers”. Their predominant job was to foyer legislators, however it was in a adverse sense right here. Constituency tasks entered the lexicon and had been liberally abused with out consequence. Transparency within the conduct of legislative enterprise acquired blurred, and the tradition of money trade for legislative assist acquired entrenched.

The return to democracy in 1999 noticed a resurgence of corruption, with lawmakers demanding kickbacks for approving budgets and payments. The notorious “Ghana-Should-Go” scandal in 2000, the place lawmakers acquired cash-stuffed baggage to move payments, exemplifies this period. The scandal uncovered how a lot cash influenced legislative selections, setting a persistent precedent. About 4 Senate residents had been eliminated between 1999 and 2007, all linked to problems with alleged corruption. 

Between 2007 and 2015, bribery grew to become extra institutionalised. Legislators exploited constituency tasks for private achieve, diverting public funds meant for grassroots improvement. For example, a 2013 audit revealed that over 60 per cent of allotted constituency venture funds in Nigeria had been both unaccounted for or misappropriated. Lawmakers would allocate funds for non-existent tasks, facilitate the award of contracts to their associates, or inflate venture prices to siphon cash for private use. In her e-book “Preventing Corruption is Harmful,” former Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala revealed that in 2014, the Nationwide Meeting was allegedly bribed with ₦17 billion by the administration of then-President Goodluck Jonathan to move the price range. These claims underscored issues in regards to the integrity of the legislative budgeting course of.

Between 2015 and 2023, the Nigerian Nationwide Meeting was implicated in a number of corruption scandals, highlighting challenges in governance and accountability. Notable situations embrace allegations that in 2016, some members of the Home of Representatives had inflated the nationwide price range by inserting unauthorised tasks, a apply often known as price range padding. This led to inner conflicts and requires investigations. Nonetheless, the matter was not conclusively resolved.

The current-day Nationwide Meeting is more and more perceived as a bastion of corruption, the place monetary inducements decide legislative actions relatively than public welfare. The rising notion that lawmakers prioritise their monetary pursuits over governance duties additional alienates residents from the democratic course of. Public notion of the Nationwide Meeting because the “home of corruption” has far-reaching implications. It might create a legitimacy disaster for your entire authorities, result in vital erosion of public belief in that establishment, typically result in poor service supply as each implementing company has a prepared excuse to not carry out, impede oversight operate because of lack of cooperation, and will worsen corruption in ministries, departments and businesses (MDA).

Legislators are elected to characterize the desire of their constituents and, subsequently, the nation. Taking money for laws and even oversight is a corrupt thwart of well-liked will and public curiosity. A legislature degrades itself to the extent of a bazaar flooring the place the very best bidder will get any laws handed, together with appropriation. The notion, rightly or wrongly, that regardless of the govt desires handed, they have to pay prematurely does irreparable injury to the popularity of the image of the Nigerian individuals. Worse nonetheless, inviting company entities by the Nationwide Meeting committees to be harassed to cough out money is a big disincentive for funding. Though with scanty proof, this “cash-for-legislative approval” phenomenon is now popularly known as the “midnight financial system.”

Legislative corruption has extreme and far-reaching penalties. First, it erodes public belief within the Nationwide Meeting, making a legitimacy disaster that may result in political apathy and instability. In accordance with a 2024 Transparency Worldwide report, 76 per cent of Nigerians consider their legislature is corrupt, reflecting a profound lack of confidence in governance. As residents turn into disillusioned with democratic establishments, voter turnout declines, and political engagement diminishes, weakening the very foundations of democracy.

Secondly, weak legislative oversight permits monetary mismanagement inside ministries and authorities businesses, exacerbating governance failures. A 2019 report by Nigeria’s Auditor Common discovered that over N300 billion in authorities funds remained unaccounted for because of weak legislative scrutiny. When lawmakers prioritise private enrichment over oversight duties, authorities businesses function with little accountability, rising inefficiency and waste.

Thirdly, when corruption dictates coverage selections, important public providers — comparable to schooling, healthcare, and infrastructure — undergo because of misallocated funds. The alleged diversion of funds within the 2025 Funds Scandal exemplifies how universities, already scuffling with poor infrastructure and insufficient funding, are additional disadvantaged of obligatory assets. The long-term influence consists of declining academic requirements, mind drain and lowered financial competitiveness.

When legislative approval paid for has financial penalties, the opposed influence is handed on to the general public within the type of inflation, unfavorable commerce phrases, and excessive improvement venture prices.

The apply of cash-for-legislative approval threatens the inspiration of democracy. Its legitimacy is severely compromised when the legislature operates as a market the place monetary transactions dictate legislative selections. The notion that legislative approvals are contingent on bribery damages the Nationwide Meeting’s popularity and discourages overseas funding. On a broader scale, corruption within the legislative department of presidency sustains social injustice and financial inequality. It undermines the making of simply legal guidelines, honest competitors, and financial progress by fostering an environment the place solely these with cash and connections can get legislative approval.

With out rapid reforms, Nigeria’s authorities’s credibility stays in danger. Corruption’s unchecked affect in legislative decision-making fosters a tradition of impunity, the place lawmakers really feel emboldened to proceed illicit practices with out concern of penalties.

Restoring accountability and transparency is crucial. Strengthening anti-corruption establishments, fostering media and civil society participation, and guaranteeing companies function free from legislative coercion are vital steps towards reform. The general public should recognise that democracy isn’t self-sustaining; it requires lively participation and vigilance to carry leaders accountable. In the end, the Nigerian individuals should demand change, because the survival of democracy is determined by it. The battle towards legislative corruption requires collective motion, persistent advocacy, and unwavering dedication to justice. By means of these efforts, Nigeria can construct a future the place governance serves the individuals relatively than non-public pursuits.

Dakuku Peterside, a public sector turnaround skilled, public coverage analyst and management coach, is the writer of the forthcoming e-book, “Main in a Storm”, a e-book on disaster management.