The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, South-east zone, recently convened in Awka, Anambra State, to discuss regional legislative collaboration. Hosted by the Anambra State House of Assembly, the meeting aimed to promote synergy among state legislatures in the region. The Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Somtochukwu Udeze, emphasized the need for structured institutional cooperation to share best practices and address regional issues.
The zonal meeting, themed “Legislative Review and Standardisation of Procedures Across South-East States: The Need to Redefine a Better Relationship”, brought together House of Assembly speakers from the five South-east states. Mr. Udeze, also the zonal vice chairman of the conference, stressed that legislative cooperation should move beyond periodic consultations to achieve comparative review of laws, legislative research, and joint consideration of regional issues.
The proposed collaboration aims to establish minimum professional standards for state legislatures, ensuring that cooperating legislatures operate above a certain threshold. This, according to Mr. Udeze, does not undermine the constitutional autonomy of individual legislatures but promotes a unified approach to lawmaking. He cited the need for consistency in laws governing environmental regulation, transportation, trade, investment, digital governance, waste management, and emergency response.
Mr. Udeze also emphasized the importance of post-enactment review of laws to assess their effectiveness and ability to achieve intended objectives. He noted that lawmakers have a responsibility to make laws that can withstand constitutional scrutiny, administrative reality, and time. The Speaker's comments reflect the need for a more coordinated approach to lawmaking in the South-east region.
Pius Udoh, former clerk of the Anambra State House of Assembly, presented a paper on security challenges, constitutional review, and state policing in Nigeria. He identified insecurity as a major threat to lives, property, and economic development in the country. Mr. Udoh listed terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and human trafficking as some of the security challenges confronting Nigeria.
Mr. Udoh argued that state policing could improve intelligence gathering and responses to security threats, as personnel would have better knowledge of local communities. However, he also identified concerns requiring careful navigation, including political interference, human rights abuses, inadequate funding, and potential conflicts between federal and state police. He urged lawmakers to promote strong legislative oversight and merit-based recruitment in state policing frameworks.
The zonal meeting concluded with a call for South-east lawmakers to play an active role in discussions on constitutional reforms and state policing. Lawmakers were urged to prioritize sustainable security, good governance, economic opportunities, justice, and strong institutions. The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria aims to promote regional cooperation and effective service delivery in the South-east region.
Key points
- South-east state legislatures to collaborate on lawmaking and share best practices.
- Proposed collaboration aims to establish minimum professional standards for state legislatures.
- Lawmakers urged to play active role in discussions on constitutional reforms and state policing.
