This thesis is a study of the constitution making processes in nigeria from the colonial inception to the 1989 constitution which is scheduled to usher in a putative third republic. History of nigerian constitutional development the jet lawyer. That has been the journey so far of nigeria s constitution development, from the colonial era to the current 1999 edition, as amended. This constitution comes into effect on august 8, 1989, the day following its adoption. Almost all successive administrations in nigeria introduce one administrative change or another. The constitution of the third republic was drafted in 1989. The nigeria constitution is the highest law in nigeria, any law that is not consistent with the constitution is null and void. The house of representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several. Aniagolu, the making of the 1989 constitution of nigeria. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria promulgation ncbi. It includes chapters on general provisions, fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy, citizenship, fundamental rights, the legislative, the executive, the judiciary, federal capital territory and general supplementary provisions.
Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria ilo. The 1989 constitution endorsed the same philosophy, but. Jul, 2018 just like every other country, nigeria has it own law that is a constitution which is the highest law in every country. Nigeria s first constitutions were enacted by order in council during the colonial era, when the country was administered. Part ii powers of the federal republic of nigeria 4. The nigerian constitution 1960, 1979, 1989 and 1999. Download pdf this document is the constitution of nigeria from 1979. The islam in africa organisation iao is a nigerian statuted islamic organisation, an initiative of the organisation of the islamic conference oic. Pdf there has been repeated calls for restructuring in nigeria, largely due to. This constitution shall have the force of law throughout nigeria and, subject to the provisions of section 4 of this constitution, if any other law including the constitution of a region is inconsistent with this constitution, this constitution shall prevail and the. Nigeria became independent on october 1, 1960 the period between dis ddate is january 15, 1966, when the first military corp detat took place, is generally referred to as the first republic, although the country became a republic on october 1, 1963. Constitution making process independent nigeria has so far experimented with five constitutions, the 1960, 1963, 1979, 1989 and 1999 constitutions.
Constitution of nigeria 1999 wikisource, the free online. The constitution guarantees every citizen equality under the law. The federal and regional governments were allocated separate. The nigerian constitution makes fundamental provision for environmental protection and clearly identifies important components of environment 3. Brief history of local government in nigeria legit. However, there is a huge history before that constitution and its power. States creation and transitional provisions decree 1976 decree no 12. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1979.
Usman muhamad bugaje is the current secretarygeneral of the iao. Discusses the 1950, 1954, 1979 and 1989 constitutions of nigeria, and includes appendix. The leadership of the national assembly on thursday met with the minister of finance, budget and national planning to be briefed by the latter on the plan by. This situation also obtained under the military government of general ibrahim babangida who himself seized power in a military coup. Political activities were banned and the constitution remained suspended. A new constitution was drafted, which saw the westminster system of government previously used in the first republic jettisoned for an americanstyle presidential system. This document became the fourth in nigerian history to appear in the law field. Local administration in nigeria has passed the four distinct stages of development.
Mar 17, 2016 history of nigerian constitutional development introduction. The crc produced a constitution which was deliberated upon by a 452member constituent assembly ca, established on 11 may 1988. Maybe it is the season of politics or maybe people just want to know. The constitution of nigeria is the supreme law of the federal republic of nigeria. The may 1999 constitution, like those of 1979 and 1989, and the draft constitution of 1995, provided for a federal republic with an executive president on the us model. Section 20 of the constitution of the federal republic. The latest constitution of nigeria that was created to rule our country was accepted in 1999. In this article, we shall examine the current nigerian law on citizenship as ordained by the 1979 constitution as well as the changes introduced by the 1989 constitution. Nigerian constitution dates back to the british annexation of lagos in 1861 and the establishment of the legislative council in june 1862, although it is problematic whether one can talk of the nigerian constitution before october 1. Jan 10, 2017 we the people of the federal republic of nigeria, having firmly and solemnly resolved, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under god, dedicated to the promotion of interafrican solidarity, world peace, international cooperation and understanding and to provide for a constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all. Sep 14, 2018 this constitution comes into effect on august 8, 1989, the day following its adoption.
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives. It includes chapters on general provisions, fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy, citizenship, fundamental rights, the legislative, the executive, the judiciary, federal capital territory and. This document contains major provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria which was promulgated by decree in 1989. In the spring of 1989, ibb lifted the ban on political activity in, which had been in place since the coup of 1983 the conference citation needed established two political. Official language policies have variously been enunciated in documents such as the national policy on education 1977, revised in 1981, and the 1979 constitution. Nigeria constitution of the federal republic of nigeria. The senate on tuesday considered a critical bill which seeks to boost advanced healthcare service delivery in nigeria to act as safeguard and response to medical emergency in the. There have been a lot of searches on the web for the nigerian constitution these days. Founded 1979 following the assassination of nigerian military head of state, general murtala mohammed in 1976, his successor general olusegun obasanjo initiated the transition process to terminate military rule in 1979. Chapter 1 representative democracy in nigeria introduction democracy is the form of government, in which the people of a country, state or. Recognise the supremacy of the nigerian constitution to other laws with emphasis on the 1989 constitution 30 evaluate the main parts of the nigerian constitution 34 draft a constitution for an association. It is the basis of all future activities of sealand.
Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1979, as amended. After general muhammadu buhari took over government on 31 may 1983, some sections of the 1979 republican constitution under which the civilian regime operated, were suspended. The basic law bl is binding above all for the exiled government of sealand and is directly binding for the representatives of the government. The 1999 constitution has given birth to the fourth republic, though with problems for which it faces demands for a revision or amendment. Constitutions of 1975 and of 1989constitution of 1989. History of nigerian constitutional development the. The independence of the judiciary under the third republican. Pos112 nigerian constitutional development 2 units process of nigerian constitutional development in a chronological and sequential order. The organisation was founded on 28 november 1989 in abuja, nigeria, with the goal to win the whole of africa for islam. General ibrahim badamasi babangida ibb, the military head of state, promised to end military rule by 1990. The 1979, 1989 and present 1999 constitutions were advanced by the military as. The separation of powers in local government in nigeria. The importance of a constitution in any given society cannot be overemphasized. Features of 1999 constitution in nigeria updated legit.
The constitution, in nigerias situation, is the supreme law of the land which all acts of individuals and of parliament must not contravene. Following the state creation in 1996, local government is presently 774 including the fct. Whereas the federal military government of the federal republic of nigeria in compliance with the transition to civil rule political programme decree 1998 has, through the independent national electoral commission, conducted elections to the office. Thus, in the colonial era, the constitution, where it existed, rather than being an instrument of empowerment was an instrument of domination. No public institution in nigeria has been so subjected to frequent reforms than local government. In the spring of 1989, ibb lifted the ban on political activity in, which had been in place since the coup of 1983 the conference. The constitution of 1946 was passew when the westminster style parliamentary constitution was enacted in the country.
Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria pdf download. I used to have just the 1999 constitution available for download but i have now added the files for 1960, 1979 and 1989. It was under babangida governments transition to civil rule programme that the 1989 constitution was formulated in a process involving a. The senate on tuesday considered a critical bill which seeks to boost advanced healthcare service delivery in nigeria to act as safeguard and response to medical emergency in the future.
The current number of local government in nigeria is 774. System, including mandatory twoparty system, 21 states, and greater. The current constitution was enacted on 29 may 1999, inaugurating the nigerian fourth republic. The law and politics of constitution making in nigeria, 1900. The law and politics of constitution making in nigeria. This constitution shall have the force of law throughout nigeria and, subject to the provisions of section 4 of this constitution, if any other law including the constitution of a region is inconsistent with this constitution, this constitution shall prevail and the other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void. Promulgation decree 1989, including the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1989. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria wipo. Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter iii of this constitution but subject to section 28 thereof, any person who became a citizen of nigeria by birth, registration or naturalisation under the provisions of any other constitution shall continue to be a citizen of nigeria under this constitution. This first set of constitutions was passed in the following years. The constitution actually uses the word alteration but i prefer to use the term amendment which is more universal in usage.
Two other less cited documents exist, to wit the 1989 constitution and the 1987 political bureau report. On the whole, looking at the supremacy of the constitution and governance in nigeria, it is instructive to note that there has been poor culture of constitutionalism in nigeria. A constitutional history of nigeria download ebook pdf. That has been the journey so far of nigerias constitution development, from the colonial era to the current 1999 edition, as amended. I got this and needed to share for every christian believer to read and gain understanding abuja declaration 1989 the abuja declarion is the outcome of a conference of the african countries of the oic in 1989 and launched by a communique of the islam in africa organisation iao founded during this conference. The statutes and goals are ratified in 1991 and this marks her formal definitive founding. Ghanas constitution of 1992 with amendments through 1996. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria promulgation decree. This ca submitted its report to the armed forces ruling council afrc, the highest governing body under babangida administration, which after amending some portions promulgated the 1989 constitution of nigeria into. The constitution, in nigeria s situation, is the supreme law of the land which all acts of individuals and of parliament must not contravene. Although apparently covering a wide scope, its boundary is limited by its perspective. The constitutional situation of the nigerian states. The nigerian constitution 1960, 1979, 1989 and 1999 there have been a lot of searches on the web for the nigerian constitution these days. Thus, in the colonial era, the constitution, where it existed, rather than being an instrument of empowerment was an.
Forfeiture of assets miscellaneous provisions decree 1990. The organisation was founded on 28 november 1989 in abuja, nigeria, with the goal to win the whole of. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria promulgation decree 1989 no. The approach adopted is historical, from the legislation process of 1861 of lagos colony to 1914 as the period of national formation to 1999 constitution, including the unique features of each. Having firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under god, dedicated to the promotion of interafrican. Preamble to nigeria s 1999 constitution and the bakassi matter.
Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria 1999, as. Six new states were created in october 1996, bringing the total to 36. Get a fullyhyperlinked free pdf softcopy of the 1999 nigerian constitution, as amended. The citizenship provisions of the 1979 constitution have been slightly modified and reenacted in the 1989 constitution which will come into effect on october 1, 1992. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria promulgation. Features of 1989 republican constitution nigerian infopedia.
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