(a)List three pre-independence constitutions in Nigeria (b) identify four features of 1960 independence constitution of Nigeria

Answer Details

(a) Pre-independence constitutions in Nigeria

1. Clifford Constitution of 1922.
2. Richards Constitution of 1946.
3. Macpherson Constitution of 1951.

(The Lyttleton Constitution of 1954 was also pre-independence.)

(b) Features of the 1960 Independence Constitution of Nigeria

1. It established a parliamentary (cabinet) system of government with a Prime Minister as head of government and a Governor-General representing the Queen as ceremonial head of state.
2. It provided for a federal structure with three regions (Northern, Eastern and Western) each having its own government.
3. It entrenched fundamental human rights in the constitution.
4. It provided for a bicameral legislature at the centre (a Senate and a House of Representatives).
5. Nigeria remained within the Commonwealth, with the Queen as titular head, and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the final court of appeal.