If I had the power to create a law in my country, it would be the Legislative Review and Modernization Act.
You know, for several hours I struggled to think of a single law that is not already in existence in Nigeria, but somehow I could not find any because any law I thought of upon research was already existing.
So after careful consideration of the Nigerian law, its implementation process, and the lifestyle of Nigerians. It became clear that it's not about creating new laws but seeing to it that existing laws outlive their usefulness and are made to stand the test of time.
It becomes imperative to note that the Legislative Review and Modernization Act will see to it that all existing laws will be subjected to a time frame of review and amendment to suit trends. Not only that, but it will become mandatory for service providers and the government at large to educate the masses on their rights and expectations of each existing law.
Speaking of, I woke up this morning to a post on Facebook inquiring of citizens' right to sue the electrical distribution company in my country.
What actually prompted the post is that my country is currently having a blackout in some areas due to a shortage in the gas supply that powers the national grid.
The situation deteriorated so much so that people whose electricity is not subsidized by the government no longer get the required hours, as electricity is being rationed so power distribution can spread out to a reasonable extent.
Since this developing event, I have heard and read people complain about paying heavily for electricity tariffs that they do not enjoy. I have also seen people wail about the persistent issuance of estimated bills for electricity that barely comes.
And in the middle of all this chaos there are citizens who do not know their rights and what is obtainable in situations where service delivery is poor, hence the post I read this morning on Facebook.
I did go through the comment section and there I saw comments from people who thought that the lawsuit won't do any good, so there's no need to try.
Well, I did my due diligence enlightening the poster and gave him a step-by-step process to officially take up his grievances with the electrical distribution company of his state.
I hope it is heeded and he gets the justice that he is looking for.
In another instance, there was a situation where a popular Nollywood actress went to a government-owned school to perform deliverance on a child accused of witchcraft simply because she wears red stud earrings to school and barely associates with her peers.
The actress came under a lot of backlash, as some people threatened a lawsuit if it was their child.
There was also another video of a pastor in a school performing a deliverance session on school children, and when a lady threatened a lawsuit if such were ever to happen in her child's school, someone commented that no law in Nigeria will grant her such liberty.
Reading such comment, I was disappointed because we have the Child Rights Act and the Fundamental Human Rights Act protecting individuals from such embarrassing situations or circumstances, but sadly people keep acting or speaking out of ignorance.
It is either that or they are constantly trivializing issues, which is why the various service providers and the government take advantage of them and everyone else who’s ignorant on their rights.
Given the two circumstances I highlighted, the Legislative Review and Modernization Act. will indeed go a long way in shaping things in my country if only I get the opportunity to create it.
