The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, being federal in nature, envisages two tier system of legislatures namely, the National Assembly, comprising of the Senate and House of Representatives and the State Houses of Assembly.

The distribution of legislative powers between the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly is in the Second Schedule to the Constitution. Part I of the Schedule enumerates matters on which the National Assembly can exclusively legislate while Part II specifies matter on which the National Assembly and State Houses Assembly can concurrently enact laws. This handbook describes the various steps and procedures in the process of law making. A valuable guide to new legislators.

This booklet is a reprint of its 2006 version published by PARP The new reproduction is intended to serve not only as a reference material for legislators, but also for the information of the media and general public.

In a situation where legislators are sometimes erroneously presented as "interlopers" even for insisting on carrying out legitimate assignments for which they have been elected, there exists the need to avail the reading public a guide to what specific powers are availed the nation's legislative establishment to carry out its statutory functions at the various tiers of government. The booklet Constitutional Powers of the Nigerian Legislature is a vital information handbook designed to address that need.

Bill Analysis is one of the major activities of PARP. In this regard, the Project Coordinator and the Experts are involved in monthly analysis of contentious bills presented at the floor of the two chambers of the National Assembly. Reports on the analysis are usually made available to the two chambers to assist them in the task of conception, drafting andpassage of bills after a critical evaluation and analysis, especially those bills dealing with macro-economic, socio-political and cultural issues. The reports are indepth analysis containing international best practices across countries with implications and legislative options. The analyzed bills are meant to facilitate better understanding of the issues involved in the bill, informed debates and knowledge over legislative matters. They are also meant to assist the legislators in making significant input into policy-making and national development