RELEGATION OF THE LEGISLATURE BY PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS IN NIGERIA: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract

The primary intendment of executive orders is to direct or instruct the actions of the executive agencies or government officials. However, some presidential executive orders issued in Nigeria tend to go beyond this scope by becoming laws unto themselves thus encroaching on the constitutional role of the National Assembly. The objective of this study is to find ways to curtail the excesses of the usage of executive orders in Nigeria. The paper employed doctrinal methodology and in doing so, used both primary and secondary sources of materials. The paper found out that Nigerian president with so much unchecked powers in issuing executive orders is prone to abuse and arbitrariness. Consequently, the paper recommended strengthening legislative independence to ensure checks and balances by subjecting executive orders to legislative scrutiny by laying them before the National Assembly prior to judicial review, without departing from the core intendment of executive orders, which is to fact-track policy directives.