About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

15 J.L. Pol'y & Globalization 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/jawpglob15 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization www iste.org ISSN 2224-3240 (Paper) ISSN 2224-3259 (Online) -t Vol.15, 2013 IISt Study of Oversight Functions Mechanism of the Legislature of Cross River State, Nigeria: Focus on Public Funds Appropriation and Usage C. C. Ikeji, Okpo. Ojah, Paul. Utulu, Joseph I. Bah, Emmanuel I. Akpan Institution of Public Policy & Administration University of Calabar. Abstract This study focused on oversight functions mechanism of Cross River State legislature on public funds. Sample size of 900 was adopted for the purpose of the study. Stratified random sampling was used in the study. Stratification was done on the basis of geopolitical zone, political party affiliation and educational status of the respondents. 900 political party members evenly distributed (300 apiece) among the three leading political parties in the last general elections were used as respondents for the purpose of the study. Each respondent has at least an SSCE/WASC educational qualification. 300 respondents were interviewed in each of the geopolitical zones (i.e. South, Central and North). Two hypotheses were tested. Results showed that the political class themselves perceive the Cross River Legislature as not carrying out its oversight function over the state's Fund Appropriation and usage significantly. KeyWords: Appropriation, Mechanism, Public Fund, Oversight, Usage Introduction Democracy is a global phenomenon which almost every nation professes commitment to. The democratic crave is lately sweeping across the whole World, from the nation states in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to Africa and Asia. This momentum across the globe is arguably as a result of its immense advantages, and by implication, because of its capacity to check the negative consequences of bad governance (Bello-Imam, 2004). Consequently, democratic pressures all over the World is, among other things, an insistence on expression of the will of the people. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, made the choice to align itself with the rest of the world on the democratic crave (Idada and Uhunmwuangho, 2012). In order for democracy to be meaningful it must arguably be characterized or underlined by the principles of openness, representation, accountability, transparency and the defense, protection and preservation of individual and group rights (Vanhanem 1990). According to Lafenwa (2009), democratization project is facing a lot of challenges in Africa. Democratic reversal rather than democratic consolidation is imminent in most African states. With the coups in Guinea, Mauritanian and Madagascar; flawed electoral processes in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, conflicts in Congo Democratic Republic, Sudan, Cote D'Ivoire as well as political repression and social dilemmas in Cameroon; the fluctuating fortunes of democracy in Africa cannot be doubted. Besides, there are crises of legitimacy, constitutionalism, security, national question, and dwindling international image. These attributes have contributed to the diminishing quality of human life in most of these countries. Recently, over 70% of Nigerians are reported to be living below $2 per day and the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer released by Transparency International listed Nigeria among the most politically corrupt nations in the world. The pertinent question at this point is: Will democracy survive in the wake of electoral fraud and violence, unrest and instability, poverty and squalor as well as gradual erosion of democratic standards in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular? This question becomes more pressing in the face of failure of most safe-guard mechanisms such as legislative oversight function. The legislature is the engine of democratic governance, as laws made by it set the agenda for the government and regulate the conduct of the people. Besides, its oversight and representational duties are critical to sustainable development which is considered as one of the ends of democracy. This study investigates the oversight mechanism of the Legislature over the Executive in resolving challenges facing democratization project in Cross River State, Nigeria. Most of the studies on consolidation of democratic governance in developing countries place less prominence on the significance of the legislature in addressing challenges of democracy. This may be due to the perceived increasing dominance of the executive arm and the declining significance of this institution in politics. Although legislatures in Nigeria have been variously described as Irump' assemblies, theatres of illusion, or even mere rubber-stamp chambers, they remain a veritable instrument for the democratic process. Most state legislatures in Nigeria are generally believed not to be living up to their constitutional responsibilities. This defeats the principle of Checks and Balances which is a core one in democracy. The existence of a viable and functional legislature undoubtedly ensures that the core principles of 'checks and balances', separation of powers, adequate representation (when compared to their counterparts in the executive,

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most