How Laws Are Made (Presidential Democracy) (Pols 208)

Introduction

Lawmaking under a presidential system follows a structured legislative process, from the proposal of a bill to presidential assent (or override). This note outlines the types of bills and the stages a bill passes through before becoming law, with a focus on Nigeria's National Assembly.

Image depicting gavel

Bill

A bill is a unit of law proposed by a member of the National Assembly (or Parliament) or by a member of the executive. A bill can be a private member bill — one sponsored by an individual member of the National Assembly.

Public Bill

This is sponsored by the President or members of the cabinet, who present it to the President, and the President transmits it to the National Assembly.

Public Expenditure Bill

This is the budget (Appropriation Bill).

Steps for a Bill to Become Law

Once a bill is proposed, it is introduced to the Clerk of the House. The Clerk assigns it a name, number, and title, and submits it to the Speaker (or Senate President), providing a copy to each lawmaker on the floor of the House.

The bill is read on the floor of the House, and a committee is formed to scrutinize it — determining whether hearings should continue or not.

- The committee reports back to the House after scrutinizing the bill, indicating whether it serves public interest, private interest, or both. Members debate the bill and make amendments where necessary. This amendment process happens in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and is voted on — requiring a two-thirds majority for agreement — after which it is sent to the President.

The President (after passage by both chambers) then assents to the bill. If the President refuses to assent within 30 days, the National Assembly can pass the bill into law with a two-thirds majority (override).

Conclusion

In sum, a bill's journey from proposal to law runs through introduction, committee scrutiny, floor debate and amendment, passage by both chambers of the National Assembly, and finally presidential assent — with the two-thirds override serving as the legislature's check on presidential refusal to assent.