The Journey Of A Bill To Law In Nigeria

In Nigeria, a bill can be introduced at the National, State, or Local Government level. At the National level, the law-making process involves 11 stages, from the origination of the bill to the President's signature. A bill can be initiated by anyone but can only be introduced by a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives. It then goes through several stages of review, reading, and voting in both chambers of the National Assembly before being presented to the President for assent. The President has the power to veto the bill, but this can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

The bill's origination

The Bills Origination

A bill is a proposed law that is presented before the legislature for approval. While anyone can suggest a new law, only a member of the legislature can introduce it on the floor of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

A bill can originate from the Executive (President), in which case it is known as an 'Executive Bill', or from a member of the House of Representatives (known as a 'House Bill') or a Senator (known as a 'Senate Bill').

When the Executive prepares a bill, it must be forwarded to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President, accompanied by a cover letter from the President.

If the bill originates from a member of the House of Representatives, it is presented to the Speaker of the House and is first discussed and passed in the House before being passed to the Senate for deliberation and passage.

When a bill originates from a Senator, it is presented to the Senate President and is first discussed and passed in the Senate chamber before being passed to the House of Representatives for further deliberation and passage.

The presiding officer (Speaker or Senate President) then refers the bill to the relevant committee for review to determine its suitability for legislative action. If it is not deemed suitable, it is sent to the National Assembly's Legal Department for revisions.

The bill is then gazetted before consideration by the legislature to give the public notice of the proposed legislation and allow them to provide feedback. This step ensures transparency and citizen participation in the law-making process.

The initial review process

For the House of Representatives, the relevant committee is the 'Rules and Business Committee', and for the Senate, it is the 'Committee on the Rules and Procedure'. The Committee reviews the bill to determine if it meets the required standards to be presented before the chamber.

If the bill does not meet the required standards, it is forwarded to the Legal Department of the National Assembly for re-drafting and any necessary amendments. The Committee is also responsible for determining the day and time the bill will be discussed in the House or Senate.

After the initial review, the Committee sends the bill for gazetting. This step ensures transparency and gives the public notice of the proposed legislation. It provides an opportunity for members of the public and concerned persons to weigh in on the process and provide written representations in favour of or against the proposed law.

Gazetting of the bill

The journey of making a law begins with gazetting. Transparency is vital in a democracy, and this step ensures that the public is aware of the proposed law or amendment to a law. The bill is published after an initial review and before the legislature considers it. This way, the public can share their views and provide written feedback in favour of or against the bill.

The bill is sent for gazetting after the initial review by the Committee on Rules and Business for the House of Representatives or the Committee on the Rules and Procedure for the Senate. The purpose of gazetting is to give the public notice of a new piece of legislation under consideration and to allow members of the public and concerned persons to weigh in on the process.

In the case of a Public Bill, the Clerk must publish a copy of the Bill in the Official Gazette and send a copy to every member of the relevant chamber. For a Private Bill, the member sponsoring the Bill must move a motion to seek the permission of the Senate President or the Speaker of the House to present the Bill and publish the same in two successive issues of the Official Gazette. After its publication, a copy of the first issue must be sent to each member of the relevant chamber.

The Clerk of the House/Senate usually does the reading of bills on the date and time that has been previously scheduled. The Clerk reads the short title of the bill and then proceeds to 'table' it before the Speaker of the House of Representatives/Senate President. At this stage, there is no debate or discussion of the bill on the floor; this stage is simply to inform the legislators that a particular bill has been introduced.

The first reading

Before the first reading, a bill undergoes an initial review by the relevant committee, which determines if it meets the required standards for presentation before the chamber. If the bill does not meet these standards, it is sent to the Legal Department of the National Assembly for re-drafting and any necessary amendments. Once the bill passes this initial review, it is sent for gazetting, which is the publication of the bill to give the public notice and an opportunity to provide feedback.

The second reading

If it is an Executive Bill (from the President), the debate commences with a motion by the Senate or House Leader that the bill be read a second time. The motion must be seconded (supported) by any of the other parties' leaders.

If the bill is one initiated by a legislator, the sponsor of the bill will move the motion for a second reading. The motion must be seconded (supported) by another legislator in the chamber where it is being read. If the motion is not seconded, the bill cannot proceed to a second reading and will be rejected.

After the bill is debated, it is put to a vote on whether it should move to the Committee stage. If the bill has the support of the majority, it moves to the Committee Stage. If it does not, it is 'Negatived' and cannot be discussed again until it is reintroduced at a later stage.

If it is referred to the Committee stage, the Senate President/Speaker of the House determines the relevant committee(s) to which the bill is referred.

Frequently asked questions