By Tonye Clinton Jaja
On a lighter note!!!
In the year 1996, Prof. Suleiman Nchi, Faculty of Law, Nasarawa State University wrote a groundbreaking book entitled: “The Nigerian Law Dictionary”.
In the year 2012, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja’s book: “A Dictionary of Legislative Drafting and Law-Making Terms” was published by Lambert Academic Publishers in Germany.
In the year 2024, both authors agreed to collaborate to publish a book to be entitled: “The Nigerian Dictionary of Law and Legislative Terms” to be funded by TETFUND.
Every passing year, since the publication of the said two books, new words appear that need to be added to the lexicon of Nigerian Law and Legislative Terms.
For example, “budget padding” is a new word/phrase that was recently coined and unique to Nigerian legislature.
Just when we were thinking that we have seen it all, along comes another word: “pancaking”, allegedly written by the Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate, when he wrote: “She (Senator Natasha) thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers”.
The problem with these new additions to the lexicon is that they are not yet incorporated in the Standing Orders of the Senate therefore, it would be a challenge for the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to find Senator Natasha guilty of the twin crimes of “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits” since they are not yet labelled as acts of gross misconduct in the Standing Orders of the Senate.
Unless there is going to be an emergency amendment of the said Standing Orders!!!
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja,
Executive Director,
Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
