Nigerians have a tendency to overinflate things—verbosity, pomposity, and exaggerated egos permeate both personal and public life. We see this play out in how titles are handled: referring to a governor as “Executive Governor,” though the Constitution makes no such provision. People with honorary doctoral degrees go by “Dr.,” and sitting governors continue to style themselves as “Senator.” It doesn’t stop there; even religious titles like “Alhaji” and “Alhaja,” used informally for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, become formalized as grand titles back home.
This mentality of title inflation extends to how we refer to the chambers of the National Assembly, calling them the “upper” and “lower” houses. But there’s no constitutional basis for this hierarchy. In fact, the House of Representatives is not inferior to the Senate. Both chambers are equal, as clearly laid out in the 1999 Constitution.
Section 4(1) vests legislative power in the National Assembly, which consists of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. In making laws, Section 58(1) mandates that bills must pass through both chambers. Neither the Senate nor the House has exclusive power in the law-making process.
Though the Senate confirms executive appointments (Section 147(2)), the House of Representatives plays a critical role in financial matters, as it alone originates appropriation bills according to Section 59. Both chambers have their distinct functions, yet they remain equal partners in governance.
Even when it comes to impeachment, Section 143 ensures that neither chamber acts alone. A two-thirds majority is required from both the Senate and the House of Representatives to impeach the President or Vice President, underscoring the balance of power.
It’s time we stop buying into this idea of an “upper” and “lower” chamber. Both are essential and constitutionally equal, designed to check and balance each other without any room for inflated titles or exaggerated importance.
