Enhancing Parliamentary Oversight for Effective Security Sector Reform in Democratic Nigeria

Benjamin Adeniran Aluko

doi:10.4314/gjds.v12i1-2.11

Abstract

The provision of the most essential public good – security in accordance with the will of the people is very germane to the consolidation of democratic governance. Though, the Nigerian state is set to inaugurate her 8th National Assembly on 9th June, 2015, the capacity of the nation’s parliamentary body (National Assembly) to provide effective parliamentary oversight over the nation’s security sector for the establishment of a democratic security forces is grossly deficient. In light of this, the objective of this paper is to explore how the Nigeria’s parliamentary body can be energized in the performance of its oversight functions over the nation’s security sector. The study employed the descriptive survey research method. It was revealed that the inadequate capacity of the parliamentarians in the performance of their oversight functions partly accounts for the incessant violation of the fundamental human rights of the people by the nation’s security forces. Thus, it becomes imperative that the capacity of the nation’s parliamentary body to carry out her oversight responsibilities be greatly strengthened. This, the paper posits can be achieved when there is a considerable improvement in the knowledge base of the parliamentarians on the workings of the entire security sector and the logic and methods of her performance of the oversight functions and a comprehensive review of the constitution with a view to freeing the security forces from the exclusive control of the presidency. The paper concludes that it is only when there is an effective parliamentary oversight over Nigeria’s security agencies that the prevalent executive control over the sector can be moderated in line with democratic principles and practices. Keywords: Democracy, Nigeria, Parliamentary Oversight, Security Sector Reform

Highlights

The nature and character of a nation’s security sector are critical to the establishment of democratic values and ethos in a polity
Nigeria’s fledgling democratic experiment requires a security sector that is under the watchdog of a legislative body that is alive to the performance of its oversight functions over the nation’s security forces
There is the need for a comprehensive review of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution with a view to establishing people’s ownership of the constitution, on the one hand, and to making comprehensive constitutional provisions for effective parliamentary oversight over the nation’s security sector, on the other hand

Summary

Introduction

The nature and character of a nation’s security sector are critical to the establishment of democratic values and ethos in a polity. The paper argues that effective democratic control of Nigeria’s security sector is realizable when the knowledge of the representatives of the people (parliamentarians), who are constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of making laws and providing oversight functions over the security sector is deepened and the civil society becomes active participants in the governance of the nation’s security sector. Against this background, this paper brings to the fore the factors responsible for the seemingly undemocratic tendencies and arbitrariness that characterize the Nigeria’s security sector and the obvious ineptitude of the parliament in the performance of. SSR seeks to promote the following values and virtues in a nation’s security sector:

Efficiency

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS