Tackling State Vulnerabilities through Responsible Legislation: An Assessment of Nigeria’s National Assembly in the Fourth Republic (1999-2013)

Abstract

This paper assesses the effectiveness of the legislative arm of government in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in tackling common vulnerabilities that threaten not just the stability but also the legitimacy of the state and its relations with the citizenry, who constitutes the electorate. It borrows the concept of ‘vulnerability’ from the field of information technology, defines the idea of responsible legislation and uses these to make a tentative statement to the effect that state vulnerabilities are strong indications of state failure in the near future, which the legislature should address through responsible representation and legislation in a democracy. The paper identifies several vulnerabilities of the Nigerian state in the Fourth Republic and assesses the extent to which responsible legislation has assisted in addressing them. After pinpointing the reasons for the levels of legislative performance experienced so far in the Fourth Republic, the paper makes recommendations for corrective actions in the identified areas of state vulnerabilities towards boosting the confidence of the electorate in democracy by enhancing legislative performance through responsible legislation.

Keywords: State vulnerabilities, Responsible legislation, Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.