16/08/2026
Deepening Democracy : ENANG URGES STRONGER EXECUTIVE, LEGISLATIVE & JUDICIAL COLLABORATION
…Calls for River Basin Authorities’ Return to Food Security Mandate
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Senator Ita Solomon Enang, OFR, NPOM, has called for stronger collaboration among the three arms of government—the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary—stressing that effective coordination is essential to democratic governance and national development.
Enang made the call on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at the Executive Leadership Programme for the Governing Council of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), held in Marrakech, Morocco.
The retreat, themed “Strategic Leadership and Institutional Readiness for Legislative Excellence: Interrogating Topical Issues on Nigeria’s Democratic Development,” brought together principal officers of the National Assembly and the leadership of NILDS.
In his lecture, titled “Strengthening Executive, Legislative and Judiciary Competence and Capacity for Good Democratic Governance in Nigeria,” Enang noted that Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution establish the separation of powers while assigning complementary responsibilities to the three arms.
“The combination of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary makes up the Government. Government is the totality of the three Arms of Government taken together. And of the three arms, none is INFERIOR to the other, as they all need each other to succeed,” he said.
He explained that the constitutional processes through which the three arms are constituted create a necessary relationship among them. He cited, among others, the swearing-in of the President by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President’s constitutional role in convening the National Assembly under Section 64(3).
According to him, although the three arms are constitutionally independent, their responsibilities are interwoven and require institutional cooperation for government to function effectively.
A significant part of the lecture focused on fiscal management, particularly the budgeting of Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs).
Enang described the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, established under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Cap. F40, LFN 2007, as “the most powerful, and biggest of all of them... but the most ignored and abused.”
Referring to Sections 21 and 22 of the Act, he noted that GOEs are required to submit their revenue and expenditure estimates to the Minister of Finance by the end of August each year for inclusion in the draft Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly.
He, however, expressed concern over the practice of passing the main Appropriation Bill for Presidential Assent while GOE budgets are subsequently handled by National Assembly committees and made available to agencies without the required Presidential Assent or ministerial coordination.
He warned that such approvals could allow agencies to undertake expenditure outside the broader fiscal framework, with implications for inflation, exchange rates, the value of the naira and other fiscal and monetary indicators.
Enang also cited Section 62(4) of the Constitution, which bars the National Assembly from delegating to its committees the power to pass bills into law. He maintained that committees are limited to making recommendations to the respective chambers.
He therefore proposed greater coordination of GOE budgets by the Finance Committees of both chambers, working with the Presidential Liaison Office and National Assembly advisers. He added that breaches of the Fiscal Responsibility Act should be appropriately addressed through the judiciary.
The Ambassador also called for the reorientation of River Basin Development Authorities towards their statutory responsibilities, particularly irrigation, flood control and food security.
Referring to a memo he addressed to the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation on September 19, 2023, Enang said the authorities had undertaken projects and programmes outside their core mandate, sometimes at the instance of the National Assembly during the budget process.
Citing Section 4(1)(a-e) of the River Basin Development Authorities Act, Cap. R9, LFN 2010, he noted that the authorities are primarily responsible for the development of surface and underground water resources, with emphasis on irrigation infrastructure and the control of floods and erosion.
He urged the Minister to undertake a basin-by-basin assessment and redirect the authorities towards their statutory mandate, particularly to strengthen food production and address flooding along major river channels.
Enang also commended NILDS for its evolution and contribution to legislative development, noting that the Institute has continued to fulfil its mandate under the guidance of its Governing Council and management.
He referenced Sections 3(2) and 3(4) of the NILDS Establishment Act, which empower the Institute to promote constitutional due process in legislative practice and strengthen the technical capacity of legislative staff in areas including appropriation and oversight.
He noted that the NILDS Governing Council, chaired by the Senate President and comprising the Speaker of the House of Representatives and other principal officers of the National Assembly, is empowered to formulate policies for the Institute. He described the retreat as an opportunity to “reload, reflect and recalibrate.”
Senator Enang concluded that stronger institutional cooperation would enhance the capacity of the three arms of government and promote democratic, transparent and effective governance.
He conveyed greetings from the Nigerian Mission in Berlin and expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the opportunity to serve.
The NILDS Governing Council comprises the President of the Senateas Chairman, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, six Senators, six members of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission, the Clerk to the National Assembly and the Director-General of NILDS as Member/Secretary.
