Legislative Organ of Government and Its Key Functions

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Legislative Organ of Government

I. Meaning of Legislature

The legislature is the law-making organ of government, responsible for creating, amending, and repealing laws. It is a vital institution in a democratic system, representing the will of the people and holding the executive and judiciary accountable.

The legislature is composed of elected representatives of the people, who come together to form a legislative assembly. E.g National Assembly, State Assembly, Local Government Council.

(The teacher will play a short video clip on the legislature, and lead class discussions on the meaning of legislature, its basic responsibilities, and composition)

II. Types of Legislatures

There are two main types of legislatures:

1. Bicameral legislature
2. Unicameral legislature 

The type of legislature adopted by a country or state depends on its political system, history, and cultural context.

• Bicameral Legislature: A bicameral legislature consists of two chambers: an upper chamber (e.g., Senate) and a lower chamber (e.g., House of Representatives). E.g., USA and Nigeria
• Unicameral: A unicameral legislature, on the other hand, consists of a single chamber. E.g., States Assembly.

(The teacher will use diagrams to illustrate the structure of different types of legislature)

III. Functions of Legislature

The legislature performs several functions including:

1. Law-making; involves creating, amending, and repealing laws.
2. Representation; involves representing the interests of constituents.
3. Oversight; involves monitoring the executive and judiciary. Impeachment of public officials, investigation of government agencies.
4. Budgeting; involves reviewing, approving, or rejecting budgets.

These functions are essential to ensuring good governance, protecting the rights of citizens, and promoting the common good.

(The teacher will lead students on an excursion to the State Assembly to observe the legislative process in action)

IV. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Legislative Organ

The strengths of the legislative organ include;

1. Representation,
2. Law-making,
3. Oversight.

The weaknesses of legislative organ include;

1. Inefficiency
2. Corruption, and;
3. Gridlock.

The legislative organ is not perfect and has several challenges. However, it remains a vital institution in a democratic system.

(The teacher will create two online (preferably, WhatsApp) discussion groups; one to analyse the strengths of the legislative organ, and the other to analyse the weaknesses of the legislative organ)

EVALUATION: The teacher will ask students the following questions:

1. Define the concept of legislature.
2. Name the 2 types of legislature.
3. Explain the functions of legislature.
4. List the strengths and weaknesses of the legislative organ.
5. Why is the Legislative an important organ of government in a democracy.

• Students will also be evaluated through online quiz or class simulations demonstrating the legislative process in action.
• Participation in class discussions will also be assessed.

SUMMARY: The teacher will give a brief recap of the main points in the lesson and encourage students to ask questions and provide clarifications where necessary.

CONCLUSION: Teacher will guide students to copy and complete lesson notes where necessary, mark complete notes and introduce the next lesson.

ASSIGNMENT/PROJECT:

• Write a short essay on the importance of the legislative organ in a democratic system., or;
• Write a brief group-report on excursion to the State Assembly.

SUGGESTED TEXTBOOKS FOR FURTHER READING:

1. “Government for Senior Secondary Schools” by E.O. Ojo and O.A. Oyedele
2. “A History of Government” by S.E. Finer

REMARKS:

1. Teacher should encourage students to participate in class discussions, ask questions and conduct research.
2. Teacher should provide feedback to students on their performance in the presentations/group-report and suggest areas for improvement.

Author’s Note: Teacher should also ensure that students are able to analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the legislative organ, and think critically about the implications of its functions for governance and democracy in Nigeria.

Read also: Characteristics of Government