THE POWERS, FUNCTIONS, REMOVAL AND TENURE OF OFFICE OF LEGISLATURES IN NIGERIA: AN APPRAISAL

Abstract

The legislative arm of government is a very critical arm of government. The paper noted that Nigeria operates a bicameral legislative system made up of the upper and lower house, each acting independently. The article explores the powers, functions, and tenure of office of the members of the National Assembly and their method of discharging their constitutional duties. It is observed that one of the most important functions of this arm is that of making laws, that regulates the affairs of the state and the relationship between the arms of government. However, despite its importance, it has a lot of challenges. The paper reveals that bicameral legislature is delicate and very expensive system to operate .Again, many people are captivated by the financial benefits thus, they employed all means necessary to find their way to the National Assembly. The paper argues that the system as it is, is unsuitable for a developing Country like Nigeria especially with our weak economy. The research methodology adopted in doing this researched was the doctrinal method. The paper recommends that the qualification to contest for the membership of the National Assembly should be revisited and also, the budget of the National Assembly should be drastically reduced