The National Assembly has announced plans to translate Nigerian laws into Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and other local languages, aiming to make legislation more accessible to citizens who may struggle with English-only legal texts. The initiative, disclosed by Henry Nwawuba, Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, also includes the development of a Bills Tracker and a mobile application to improve public access to parliamentary information.
Translation Initiative Unveiled at Library Week
Nwawuba made the announcement on Monday, September 28, 2026, during the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Library Week in Abuja. The three-day event, themed “Parliamentary Memory: Connecting Records, Legislation and the People,” focuses on promoting legislative research, improving information access, and preserving Nigeria’s parliamentary records.
According to Nwawuba, translating laws into local languages will help more Nigerians understand legislation that affects their daily lives, particularly those who face challenges accessing or comprehending legal information written in English. He emphasized that the National Assembly Library is more than a collection of books, describing it as “the knowledge infrastructure of the legislature and a repository of parliamentary records.”
Digital Tools and Records Access
As part of the broader initiative, the National Assembly Library Trust Fund is investing in electronic repositories and upgrading its e-Library. A mobile application is being developed to give users easier access to legislative information, while a Bills Tracker will allow Nigerians to monitor bills and their progress through the legislative process.
Nwawuba noted that the library is also creating infographics, audiovisual materials, and video explainers to simplify Bills, Acts, and legislative procedures. Additionally, the Trust Fund plans to organize public policy dialogues to encourage greater participation in public hearings and foster interaction between legislators, citizens, researchers, and other stakeholders.
Preserving Parliamentary Records
Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, stressed that documents such as the Order Paper, Votes and Proceedings, and Hansard are vital to Nigeria’s democratic memory and must be properly preserved, authenticated, and made accessible. He warned that digital technology has made it easier for parliamentary documents to be altered and widely circulated, necessitating stronger systems for digital preservation, cybersecurity, authentication, and access control.
Ogunlana also highlighted the continued reliance on the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, noting that the compilation reflects laws covered by the revision exercise at the time and does not automatically incorporate subsequent legislation passed by the National Assembly.
Alignment with National Language Policy
The translation initiative aligns with Nigeria’s National Language Policy, which stipulates that federal laws should be written in English and translated into Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and other Nigerian languages of wider communication. However, the planned translations are not yet available, as the National Assembly currently outlines them as part of its broader effort to digitize parliamentary records and expand public access to legislative information.
