NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION

WHAT IS A CONSTITUTION?

A constitution is a body of fundamental rules and regulations which guide the activities of both the ruler and the ruled in a state.

SOURCES OF NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION

1. ACTS OF PARLIAMENT: These are bills passed into law by members of the legislature.
2. PAST EXPERIENCES: Historical experiences of past constitution may also be used to write a new constitution.
3. INTERNATIONAL LAWS: Any relevant laws passed by an international organization to which a particular country belongs, may be used as part of that country’s constitution.
4. CUSTOMS AND CONVENTIONS: Customs, traditions of the people and common laws of the land can also be used.
5. JUDICIAL PRECEDENCE: They are past judgements given in a court of law.
6. EXISTING CONSTITUTION of any country is one of the sources of a good constitution.
7. WRITINGS OF WELLKNOWN LAWYERS: Writings of well known lawyers and jurists can be used when planning for a good constitution.

FEATURES OF NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION

1. PREAMBLE: This is the introduction or past history of Nigerian constitution.
2. ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT: It defines the organs of government and their functions.
3. PARTY SYSTEM: It states the type of party system to be adopted by the Nigerian state.
4. CITIZENSHIP: It defines citizenship and the qualification for citizenship.
5. AMENDMENT: It will contain how the constitution can be amended
6. TENURE: It will also state how long a government will stay in power.
7. SHARING OF POWER: It will state how power of government will be shared between the central government and the government of the component parts or states.