Nigerian legislative process and the efficacy of enacted laws: The Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 in Focus, a decade after. Implications for Sustainable Development (Published)
Policies and law have but one essence, to confirm with current realities that satisfies the present aspirations of the people. The above assertions present a clear picture of an ideal legislative and policy process, one based on close knit and positive relationship between the elected and the electee, the legislator and his constituents, elected public officials and the people, whom they claim to represent. Sadly, in some context, the ideal is different from the reality, just like theory and practice. One of such contexts is in Nigeria. This article x-rays, the legislative process in Nigeria, with special focus on the Violence and Persons Prohibition Act 2015, by Nigeria’s National Assembly, which guarantees protection of the rights of the citizens from all forms of violence. It seeks to eliminate the scourge of violence in all spheres, private and public life; prohibit violence in all forms against persons, especially women and girls who are mostly affected; provides optimum protection and remedies for victims; punishment of offenders and for other related matters. Using secondary data, the study seeks to ascertain the efficacy of this enactment, a decade after and to establish the inadequacies of the VAPP Act, the deliberate neglect of the legislature of its core mandate, and the implications for sustainable development in Nigeria.
Keywords: Gender, Legislature, Sustainable Development, national assembly, violence against persons’ prohibition act