September 2021
The National Legislative Drafting Guide was successfully validated by the heads of institutions in the justice sector. The guide will be used to train drafters in relevant federal institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Justice, the National Law Reform Commission and the National Assembly.
The need to develop a national guide was identified by the Federal Justice Sector Reform Coordinating Committee (FJSRCC), the national coordinating body for justice reform. The committee believes the guide will address the increasing cases of defects in drafting bills considered by the National Assembly and presented for assent by the President.
The committee collaborated with RoLAC, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced and Legal Studies (NIALS) and the National Institute of Legal and Democratic Studies (NILDS) to review an associated manual which was produced for the same purpose. At the adoption of the manual in March 2021, the FJSRCC constituted a sub-committee made up of representatives from partnering institutions to improve the manual and develop a guide.
“The national legislative drafting guide set a standard format and style for drafting bills, motions and other legislative outputs. This will enhance the quality and efficient legislative drafting and assist with the rigorous task of drafting bills on a daily basis. The manual will also improve the training of practitioners.”
Dr James Bathnna, Deputy Chairman, National Legislative Drafting Manual Committee
