The Nigerian Legislative Committee System, Corruption, and Constituency Woes Lessons Nigerians Can Learn from the Singaporean Legislative Committee System

Legislative committees are a critical part of any democratic, parliamentary, internal operating system. It is impossible to overstate their responsibilities in lawmaking, ensuring responsible representation of constituents, and monitoring government institutions to make certain that there is accountability to the public. However, the extent to which the Nigerian Parliament performs these functions through its committee system has been viewed with suspicion, as members who are supposed to expose corruption are deeply involved in it. In contrast, Singaporean parliamentary committees have had some success in combating corruption, as evidenced in the ranking of the country as the least corrupt in Asia. Given the significant difference in the two committee systems, the essay asks the question: What can Nigerians learn from the Singaporean parliamentary committee system about corruption control? While studies have examined the consequences of corruption in all sectors of the economy, including the Nigerian Parliament, there is little knowledge about how corruption among legislative committees discourages foreign direct investment and causes industries to leave Nigeria. This essay advances understanding in this direction, using the secondary data method. It concludes that political corruption among parliamentary committee members aggravates constituency woes and impedes socio-economic development in Nigeria.