Fayemi advocates bicameral legislature

A former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has called for reconsideration of Nigeria’s Bicameral Legislature to enhance good governance in the country.

He said bicameralism offers potential benefits, such as preventing hasty legislation, promoting the division of labour, and providing checks and balances not amply manifested in the context of Nigeria.

Fayemi stated this in his lecture titled, “Bicameralism, Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria: Some Reflections,” an offshoot of the conference topic, “Bicameralism and Good Governance. An Oxymoron?” during the sixth Justice Aderemi Lecture Series (JAALS) in Ibadan, Oyo State.

He explained that bicameralism, comprising a Senate and a House of Representatives, provided a system of wider representation for pluralist societies, adding that approximately 45 per cent of democracies worldwide practise bicameralism.

However, the former Ekiti State governor said that the country’s legislative arm remains underdeveloped, partly due to its interruptions during military rule, which has affected its independence and effectiveness.

He expressed concern that the Senate had become a haven for retired politicians who make little or no contribution at all, wondering if the current structure of a bicameral legislature was deepening democracy or bettering governance.

Fayemi, therefore, called for a re-evaluation of Nigeria’s governance system, particularly the need for devolution of powers to the country’s federating units.

He said that the core issue was not merely the type of legislature but the structure of Nigeria’s federalism, which had failed to serve the best interest of the nation.