Comparing the Two Sides of the Same Coin

Abstract This paper assessed the effectiveness of Nigeria’s National Assembly by comparing the performances of the two chambers under the Fourth Republic to know which one is more effective using the parameters of lawmaking performance and executive-legislative relations. The aim of comparison stems from the fact that all bills passed by one chamber must receive concurrent passage by the other. Thus, should one chamber lag in its duty, it negatively affects the output of the other. Methodologically, the paper used two parameters: lawmaking and legislative-executive relations. The sequential mixed method research design was adopted. The paper found that the House of Representatives is more effective than the Senate under the two parameters of evaluation. The paper concluded that much as the National Assembly is claiming to be legislating for the country’s development, not much has been achieved in this regard. It recommended holistic capacity-building initiatives to enhance lawmakers’ performance, especially in the Senate, as against the ceremonial training that does them no good.