Structure of the Judiciary | Organs of Government
The structure of the judiciary varies from country to country. Written constitutions usually contain provisions which provide for the structure of the judicial system and the jurisdiction of each court within it. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for...
A bill is not a law until it is signed into law by the executive. It is a proposal of action discussed in the parliament and later signed to become a law by the President.
Types of Legislature | This type of legislatures enjoy considerable power to formulate polices without being challenged by the executive. Again, the executive always considers necessary the need to sample the opinion of the legislature before she brings any bill or legislation proposal to the parliament.
Unicameralism - Unicameral Legislature is the existence of one legislative chamber in a country. Legislative functions are performed by only one chamber, with members directly elected by the electorate.
Bicameral Legislature is defined as a process or act of carrying out legislative functions by the two chambers in a state. There are the lower chamber and the upper chamber. Britain and the United States of America provide classical examples of bicameralism.
Differences Between Unicameral and Bicameral Legislature | Bicameralism is defined as a process or act of carrying out legislative functions by the two chambers in a country while Uni-cameralism is the existence of a single legislative body in a state. Hence, in a unicameral state, legislative functions are performed by only one chamber, with members directly elected by the electorate.
The Legislature is the organ of government responsible for law making. The legislature makes laws which are to be obeyed by everybody. The legislature also maintains control over the policy and administrative actions of the executive and acts as a forum for airing public opinions.
What are the steps in the lawmaking process | Laws are made through bills. A bill is a draft of a proposed law. The function of a bill is to: (a) enact a new law or (b) amend an existing law.
There are two main types of bill, namely, public and private bills.
There are several limitations on the power of the leglslature. They include; Development of Political Parties, Expansion of Executive Powers, Judicial Review, Public Opinion & The Electorate.
How Bills Become Law? | A public bill goes through three stages, namely, the first reading, second reading and third reading before it becomes an Act of Parliament or a law.
The executive is the branch of government which carries out the will of the state. It enforces the laws made by the legislature and carries out court decisions and also takes action on matters which are not covered by the law.
As the hub around which the wheel of government revolves, the executive is the active force in government. As such, it performs a number of functions and exercises certain powers which are necessary for the survival of the political system. Some of these powers and functions of the executive are explained below.
Limitations on the Powers of the Executive Branch | 1. There is parliamentary control of the executive, especially in a cabinet system of government. The prime minister and his cabinet are responsible to the lower house. That is, they must explain and defend their policies in the house, and if the parliament withdraws its support for the government, the prime minister either resigns or advises the king or president to dissolve parliament in order to seek fresh support through a general election.
Rights, Duties and Obligations of a Citizen | Citizenship confers both rights and duties on a citizen. Since the citizen enjoys all the rights provided by his state, it follows that he is obliged to perform certain duties and obligation to the state in return. This is because every right or privilege entails a responsibility.
A citizen is defined as a legal member of a state with full constitutional or legal rights in the country in which he or she resides. While an alien or a non-citizen is any individual who is not a national of a State in which he or she is present.
Just as citizens have certain rights, duties and obligations, a government also enjoys a number of rights and performs certain obligations.
It is, however, more appropriate to talk about the obligations rather than the duties of government, as it may be difficult to compel a government to discharge its responsibility to the Citizens.
Citizenship is a term by which we express the status of individuals who possess full political rights. In the Roman Empire, it was not every resident of the Empire that was accorded the privileged status of citizens.
Citizenship By Birth In Nigeria | Most of the citizens of any modern state are citizens by birth. As long as a person does not forfeit the citizenship of his country of origin, he remains a citizen of that country.
The simple majority means that the candidate with the largest number of votes wins the election. For example, five candidates (A, B, C, D and E) contested election in a federal constituency. Their respective votes are as follows.
Problems of Electoral Commissions
In order to ensure that elections are conducted freely and in an orderly manner, an electoral commission is usually established. The electoral commission is the body charged with the responsibility for conducting an election.
The commission is expected to be an independent and impartial body, that is,...
