The Nigerian Constitution

Understand what a constitution does and the main features of Nigeria's constitution.

~17 min Government

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A constitution is the highest law of the land.

In this lesson you will:

Define a constitution and its purposes.
Distinguish written and unwritten constitutions.
Name features of the Nigerian constitution.

What a Constitution Does

It establishes the institutions of government, distributes power, protects rights and sets the rules for making other laws. Any law that conflicts with the constitution is invalid.

Types

A written constitution is contained in one document; an unwritten constitution grows from conventions and statutes. A rigid constitution is hard to amend; a flexible one can be changed by ordinary law.

Nigeria

Nigeria has a written, rigid constitution. It provides for a federal republic, three arms of government, a bill of rights and 36 states plus the FCT.

Why rigidity matters

Amending Nigeria's constitution requires special majorities in the National Assembly and approval by state assemblies.

This prevents a simple majority from changing fundamental rules overnight.

Note Chapter IV of the Nigerian Constitution protects fundamental human rights.

Practice

Define a constitution.
State two purposes of a constitution.
Name two features of the Nigerian constitution.

Recap

A constitution establishes government, distributes power and protects rights. Nigeria's is written and rigid.

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Course contents

The Nigerian State

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