Integrity Deficit as an Impediment to Effective Legislative Oversight in Nigeria

Abstract

The emergence of participatory democracy in Nigeria on May 29, 1999, after a prolonged military dictatorship, did come with its own problems and challenges. One of such is the nation’s quest for accountability. Nigeria operates a presidential system of government; there is a separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. The essence of this separation is to ensure probity, transparency, and accountability in government with a view to securing the public interest (Lijphart 1991; Mainwaring 1993).