NASS: Nigerian Laws to Get Local Language Translation

• The National Assembly plans to translate Nigerian laws into Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, and other local languages to broaden public access to legislative information.
• This initiative was announced by Mr. Henry Nwawuba of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund during the 2026 National Assembly Library Week.
• The NASS is also investing in an e-library upgrade, a mobile application, a Bills Tracker, and multimedia explainers to enhance access to parliamentary records.
• These efforts aim to address inconsistencies in official documents, combat misinformation, and strengthen democratic governance by making legislative processes more transparent.
• Senior NASS officials emphasize the library's role in linking evidence, knowledge, and legislative decision-making, crucial for understanding Nigeria's legislative history.

The planned translation of Nigerian laws into local languages will significantly broaden public access to legislative information, enabling more citizens to understand laws that affect their daily lives.

The National Assembly (NASS) is set to significantly enhance public access to legislative information by translating Nigerian laws into major local languages, including Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba, alongside other indigenous tongues. This initiative forms part of a broader effort to deepen the digitisation of parliamentary records, ensuring that a wider segment of the populace can engage with and comprehend the legal framework governing their daily lives.

This pivotal development was announced by Mr. Henry Nwawuba, the Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, 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,” serves as an annual forum dedicated to fostering legislative research, improving access to information, and promoting the effective utilisation of the NASS Library's extensive resources.

Beyond language translation, the National Assembly Library Trust Fund is making substantial investments to modernize its information infrastructure. This includes upgrading its e-library and developing electronic repositories to house parliamentary records. A new National Assembly Library mobile application is also in the works, designed to make legislative information more readily available to lawmakers, staff, researchers, and the general public.

Further initiatives include the creation of a Bills Tracker, which will allow users to monitor the progress of legislative proposals through various stages of the parliamentary process. To simplify complex legal and procedural information, the library is also developing infographics, audiovisual materials, and video explainers. These tools aim to demystify bills, Acts, and legislative procedures for all Nigerians, ensuring greater clarity and understanding.

The comprehensive suite of initiatives, including the translation of laws and the development of digital tools, is specifically designed to combat inconsistencies in official parliamentary documents and prevent the circulation of fake or unauthorized copies of National Assembly records. By providing authoritative and accessible information, the NASS aims to foster greater transparency and trust in the legislative process.

Senior parliamentary figures have underscored the critical importance of these efforts. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Osita Ngwu, urged lawmakers to leverage the library's resources, particularly in an era marked by increasing misinformation, disinformation, and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. He emphasized the library's role as a vital link connecting evidence, knowledge, and legislative decision-making, advocating for its continued development. Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, whose remarks were delivered by Professor Julius Ihonvbere, highlighted that legislative records are fundamental to understanding Nigeria’s legislative history and bolstering democratic governance. He noted that a legislature's strength is not solely measured by the laws it enacts, but also by its capacity to document activities, preserve institutional knowledge, and make this information available for future generations.

The planned translation of Nigerian laws into local languages will significantly broaden public access to legislative information, enabling more citizens to understand laws that affect their daily lives.

This move is expected to have a profound impact on public engagement with legal matters, potentially influencing how clients understand and interact with the legal system. The NASS Library also plans to organize public policy dialogues, which will deepen citizen participation in public hearings and create more opportunities for interaction among legislators, citizens, researchers, and other stakeholders. The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, further articulated that the NASS's true independence is contingent upon its ability to generate, preserve, retrieve, and authenticate its institutional knowledge and records, reinforcing the strategic importance of these initiatives for Nigeria's legislative information access.

Lawyers and compliance officers should note that the translation of Nigerian laws into local languages will significantly broaden public access to legislative information, potentially influencing client understanding and engagement with legal matters. This development, coupled with the NASS's broader digitisation and Bills Tracker initiatives, could enhance legal research and compliance strategies for businesses operating in diverse linguistic communities across Nigeria.

Source: Original reporting via Punch Newspapers