POLS112

(
CITI
ZENANDTHESTATE)

STATE
Despitethattherearedif
ferentdefi
nit
ionsprovidedbyschol arsonwhatst at
eis,
generall
y,astat
eisapolit
icaluni
twit
ht hefor
malor ganizat
ionsandi nsti
tut
ionsthat
hasadef inedterr
it
ory
,mechani smsofmai ntaini
ngl aw andor der,government,
populati
onandcanf ormall
yr el
atewithsimilarentit
iesori ndi
vi
dual soutsideits
borders.
FUNCTI
ONSOFSTATE
St
atehasmanyf
unct
ionst
hati
ncl
udest
hef
oll
owi
ng:
1-
prot
ect
ingt
hesoci
etyf
rom v
iol
enceandi
nvasi
on
2-
esst
abl
i
shi
ngasy
stem ofj
ust
icet
hatwoul
dnotal
l
owt
hef
lour
ishi
ngofj
ust
ice.
3-
Devel
opmentofi
nfr
ast
ruct
uref
ort
hebenef
itofci
ti
zensandov
eral
ldev
elopment
oft
hestat
e.
4-
prov
ingameni
ti
est
hatwi
l
lenhancet
hewel
far
eofci
ti
zens.
Theref
ore,st
atei
sanart
if
ici
alcr
eat
ionthatoper
atesthr
oughinsti
tut
ionssetupini
ts
namet odefi
neitaswel
lasmakedecisionsastotheorgani
zati
onandr egul
ati
onof
thepubli
cdomain

FEATURESOFTHESTATE
GOVERNMENT:Agov er
nmentisthatsystem t
hatperfor
msdiff
erentr ol
eswit
ht he
ai
m ofachievi
ngtheobject
ivesofthest
ate.Thegovernmentr
eceivesinputf
rom the
soci
alenv i
ronmentand pr oduces outputas respond tothe r ecei
ved i
nput.
Governmentisanessent i
alorganoft hestat
ethroughwhicht hest at
eprovides
serv
icest
ot heci
ti
zens.
I
notherwor
ds,
agov
ernmenti
samachi
ner
ythr
oughwhi
cht
heaf
fai
rsoft
hest
atei
s
r
un.
2-LEGITI
MATERIGHTTOUSEFORCE:I ti
sonl
yt hestat
ethathasther i
ghtt
ouse
for
cewhichi
sknownasst at
epower
.Iti
sthest
atethathasther
esponsibl
ytomake
arr
est
.Ithastheresponsi
bil
i
tyt
omakepeaceandhar monyreign.(
itisonlyt
he
gover
nmentt
hathasthelegi
ti
mat
eri
ghttousef
orce.
3-DEFINEDTERRI TORY:thi
ssimplyrefert
othespaceandenv i
ronmentthatst
ate
occupi
es,incl
udi
ng riv
ers,seas and oceans (
even ai
rspace)
.This space has
boundari
es.Theboundari
esarecl
earl
ydef i
nedtotheext
entt
hatthegovernmentof
thestat
eknowsitsboundar
iesstar
tandend.Si
mil
arl
y,t
hest
ateexer
cisest
otal
cont
rolont
hespaceandenvi
ronment
.
4-SOVEREI GNTY: i
mpliesabsolut
eandperpetualpowerofthestateov
eritdomesti
c
affair
sciti
zens,t
erri
tor
yandal lot
herat
tri
butethatareatt
achtot heauthor
ityoft
he
state.Inorderwordssoverei
gntymeansthisstatehaspowert omakeherl awsand
enforcethelaws.
5-PERMANENCE:Ast ateispermanentest
abli
shmentthatcanlastforeverunl
ess
other
wisedecidedbytheciti
zens.Astat
eisnotli
keagov er
nmentt hatcomesand
goes,forexample,t
heNi ger
ianstat
ehasbeeni nexi
stencefor64y earsandst i
l
l
counti
ngwhereasNigeri
ahashadmanygov ernment
s.
6-POPULATI ON:populati
onrefer
st othepeopleorcit
izensofapar
ti
cularstate.
Theyaretheactorsofthisst
ate.Therecannotbemini
mum oropti
mum populati
on
thatcanconst
it
uteastate.

THEORI
ESOFSTATE
Themanyt
heor
iesofst
atef
ormul
ati
ont
hatexpl
ainsst
atecr
eat
ion.
1-DI
VINETHEORY:t hist
heoryassumest hatiti
sGodthator
dainstheestabli
shment
ofthestat
e.Inessenceast at
ei sacr eatureofGod.Tworeli
giousbooksat testt
o
thi
sassert
ion.Si
nceastateisacr eat
ionofGod, t
hent
herul
ersareanointed.Thisi
s
whatisknownasdivineri
ghtofthekings.
2-FORCETHEORY:THI St heoryassumest hatastatei sapr oductofwarand
conquest
.Itmeanst hestrongerconquerst heweakert hr
oughtheuseofwar fare.
Thisgaveri
setot heformat i
onoft hestate.Theref
ore,thi
stheoryassumesmust
stat
e came to exi
stence through t
he expediti
on ofdr i
ves ofstrong st
ate and
i
ndivi
dual
s.
Fortheproponent
softhistheor
y,st
atecametobeingaft
eraclanleaderbecomes
str
ongerandconti
nuestoexpandhisj
uri
sdi
cti
onthr
oughthi
scaptureofnei
ghbori
ng
communi t
iesandkeeponmov i
ngunti
lhebri
ngsalargesum ofterr
it
oryunderhi
s
contr
ol.
3-SOCIALCONTRACTTHEORY:Thi stheoryassumedaper iodofast atel
esssociety
wheremanwasl ivi
ngi naccor dancewi t
ht hedict
atesofhi swhi msandcapr i
ces.
Thisgaverisetoconf l
ictsandchaosasdesi r
esofpeopl eliv
ingast atel
esssociety
becameirr
econci l
ableast heycompet ewithoneanotheroverscarcer esources.This
peri
odofst at
eless,accordingt othetheoryisknownasst ateofnat ur e,wherethere
wassurvivaloft hefit
test,t hestrongrulesovertheweak,t herefore,lif
ebecomes
shortbr
uti
shandnast y ,thisdisorderandchaosnecessi t
atedt hef ormationoft he
stat
einordert or egul
at et heambi ti
onanddesi reofmen.Ther efore,menhadt o
surr
enderpartorsomeoft heirfr
eedom from t
hem tomenbr oughtt hisformati
onof
stat
eandgov ernmentwi t
hal awandleadertoguidethei
raffair
s.
Theleaderundert
hisarrangemententeredint
oagreementwi ththepeople.Hewould
provi
desecurit
yfort hem andr egul
atetheiracti
vi
t ywhi
let hef ol
l
owersobeyt he
l
eader.Theefoundi
ngf athersofthi
stheoryareThomasHobbes,JohnLockeandJ.
J,Rousseau.Eachagreeingwiththeorigi
nalsubst
anceoft hetheoryagreementbut
di
ffer
ingatsomepoi nt.Attent
ionwouldbepaidtot heori
ginalproponent–Thomas
Hobbes.

THOMASHOBBES(
1588-
1679)
Hei sthemostf amousandpr ominentt heoristoft hesocialcont r
act.Hewasan
Engli
shmanwhol i
vedi
nt heday sofcivi
lwarofEngl and.Therefore,hi
sf i
cti
onabout
stat
eofnat urewasasar esul
tofhi sli
feex perience.Heexper iencedEngl andci vi
l
warwher etherewaschaos.Peopl ewer elosingtheirlif
eandpr operti
esasar esultof
thewar.Ther ewasnoor der.Ambi t
ionofi ndiv
idualsbecamet heirdri
vi
ngf orce.Life
andlivi
ngbecamesur v
ivalofthef it
test.
”Li f
ewassol itar
y,poor,nasty,brutishand
short
’’
.iti
sbecauseoft hisdev el
opment ,mensoughtf orpeaceandagedt of or
ma
stat
e---
-.ThisiswhatHobbescal ledLeviathan–st atewi thabsolutepowers.
Accordi
ngtohimthelevi
athanneedsabsolut
epoweri
nordertomaint
ainl
awsand
order
.Itwasthebel
iefofHobbesthatther
ewastheneedforstr
ongergov
ernment
tobeabletoaddr
esschaosandconfl
ict
.
Thef
oll
owi
ngar
esomeoft
hechar
act
eri
sti
csofHobbesi
anSt
ate:
1-Mani sessenti
all
ydrivenbyhisappeti
te,desir
esandpassion,becauseinthe
stateofnatur
e,ther
ewasnocommonpowert oregul
atethi
sattri
buteofman
thatwaswhyt herewaschaosand conf l
ict.Ther
efor
e,in orderto have
soluti
ontotheconfl
ictandchaosinthestateofnatur
e,mencamet oget
herto
form absol
utegover
nmentwi t
habsolutepower .
2-Undernatur
allaws,manhasl i
bert
yandhasr i
ghtt
opreser
vehisownl i
fe,
but
becauseofmen’ sappetit
e,desireand passi
onwhichcaused chaosand
confl
ict
,manhast osurrenderthi
snatur
erightofl
i
ber
tyandrighttol
if
etothe
soverei
gnorlevi
athan.I
nor dertohav
epeaceandaddressotherchal
l
engesin
thestat
eofnature.
3-Thecont ractent
eredbetweenthestateandmencanber evokedbythe
cit
izens.Thismeansthatmenchangethesov
erei
gnort
hel
eaderatthet
ime
theywish.
4-Thewil
lofthesover
eignort hest
atebecomest hewi
l
lofci
ti
zens.Ast
he
sov
erei
gni
stherepr
esentat
iveandoft
hecit
izens.
5-Thei
nst
inct
sofmenar
etooambi
ti
oust
obecheckedexceptbyanabsol
ute
 power
.
6-Thepoweroft
hesoverei
gni
sinal
ter
abl
e.Thati
snopowershoul
dexi
sti
nthe
st
ateovert
hesov
erei
gn.
7-The sov
ereign can compri
se o many peopl
e notnecessar
y one man.
Ther
efor
e,thesover
eigncanbeanassembly.
8-Thesov er
eignshouldbemonar chinnatur
e,becausemonar
chyhasgr
eat
er
consi
stencyandfreedom f
rom f
luct
uat
ionofpoli
cy.
9-TheHobbesianstat
et hesovereignshoul
dal
l
ow t
heowner
shi
pofpr
ivat
e
proper
ti
esandpr
otectpubl
i
cinterest.

JOHNLOCKE(
1632-
1704)
Johnl ockei sanEngl i
shphi l
osopherwhohadwr it
tenmanybooks.Oneofhi s
famousbooksi s‘’
thet wot reati
sesofgov ernment’
’whichwasseenasanat temptto
j
ustifytherev ol
ut i
onof1688t hatestabl
ishconsti
tut
ionalmonar
chinEngl and.Locke
alsohasani deaoft hisst ateofnat ur
ei .
e.theplacewheremenl i
nedbef orethe
formationofci v i
lsociety.Unl i
keHobbes,t hestateofnatur
eaccor dingt olockeis
mor alandsoci alinchar act er
.InLocke’sst at
eofnat ur
e,menhav er ightandt hey
acknowl edgedut i
es.Thest ateofnat ur
eaccor di
ngLockeisgovernedbyt helawof
naturet hatist osay ,itisgov er
nedbyr eason.Menconsultoneanot her,menar e
equalandi ndependent .Menaccor di
ngt othelawofnaturedonothar m oneanot her
.
Menhav erightt oli
fe,health, l
i
bertyandpossession.
Despi
tet helaw ofnaturegoverningthestatenatur
einithoweverl i
fewasnot
sat
isf
actorybecausepeacewasconst ant
lydisr
upt
edbycorrupt
ionandv i
ciousness
ofdegenerat
emen.Ther ef
ore,
stateofnat
urewascharact
eri
zedbythreelacks.
1-Lackofanest
abl
i
shed,
set
tl
edandknownl
aw.
2-Lackofknownandi
ndi
ff
erentj
udge.
3-Lackofexecut
ivepowert
oenf
orcej
ustdeci
sions
Thislackaccordingt oLockei nthestateofnaturepushedment oenteri
ntosoci al
contr
actwhi chist hecontractofal lwithall
.Thiscontr
actwasnotacont ractwith
thegov ernment,butiscont
r actmeantt oestabli
shpoli
ti
calsociet
y.I
twasacont ract
thatallmustagr eeandsubmi ttothedet er
minati
onoft hemaj ori
ty.Everyone
surr
ender spartofhi snatur alright
st othecentralaut
horit
yf or
medbyt hesoci al
contr
act .Thecontractest
abl ishesagov er
nmentt oachi
evecertai
nendsast heends
ofgov ernmentisthegoodoft hecommuni t
y.Supremepowerl i
esinthehandsoft he
people.
Theabov
ear
ethenat
ureofsoci
alcont
ractaccor
dingt
oJohnLocke.
Thef
oll
owi
ngar
esomeoft
hechar
act
eri
sti
csofagov
ernmentf
ormedundersoci
al
cont
ractaccor
dingt
oJohnLocke.
1-Gov
ernmentmustbebasedont
heconsentoft
hepeopl
e.
2-
gov
ernmentmustbeconst
it
uti
onal
basedont
her
uleofl
aw
3-
gov
ernmentmustbel
i
mit
ednotabsol
ute.
4-peopl
emustt
heoneswhowi
l
lfor
m gov
ernment
…isgov
ernmenti
sder
ivedf
rot
he
people.
5-
gov
ernmenthol
dspoweri
ntr
ustonbehal
foft
hepeopl
e.
6-
gov
ernmentmustpr
omot
eci
ti
zenswel
far
e,
7-
thegov
ernmentoft
hest
ateshal
lal
l
owf
orowner
shi
pofpr
oper
ty.
8-
cit
izensshoul
denj
oyi
nal
i
enabl
eri
ght
.
9-
ifgov
ernmentf
ail
stoper
for
mst
hef
oregoi
ngdut
iesorexceeds…aut
hor
it
y.I
tcan
beli
mit
edlyov
ert
hrown.
-
-ReadaboutJ.J.Rouben-
-

Mar
xistt
heor
yoft
hest
ate:
…KarlMaxuponwhosei deasMar x
ism isbuilt
...st
ateisacoe-
civeappar
atust hat
usuall
yservices…theinter
estoft
her ul
ingclassinadivi
dedsociet
y.Ther
efore,for
theMar xi
st,
st at
ewasformedtoservetheint
erestofthebour
geoi
sieandexploitthe
……t hr
ought heownershi
pofthemeansofpr oducti
on.
Thef
oll
owi
ngar
ethesummar
yofMar
xisti
deasonst
ate:
1-Ast
ateisapr
oductandmani
fest
ati
onofi
rr
econci
l
abl
ecl
assant
agoni
sm i
n
t
hesoci
ety
.
2-Theexecut
iveoft
hemodernstat
eisbuil
tonacommi tteef
ormanagi
ngt
he
commonaffair
softhewhol
eonbehal
fofthebour
geoi
sie.
3-St
atei
sani
nst
rumentofdomi
nat
ingot
hercl
asses.
4-Therewasnost at
ebefor
e,wi
thnorulerorr
uled.Ther
efor
e,soci
alr
elat
ions
wereregul
atedbycust
omsandtr
adi
ti
ons
5-Mar
xistbel
i
evedthatsoci
alprocesses,i
nst
it
uti
onsoft
hest
atear
ebasedon
t
heproduct
ionofgoodsandservi
ces.
6-Marxi
stal
sobeli
evet
hatsuperst
ruct
ureofcul
tur
es,l
awandgov
ernmentar
e
bui
l
tontheeconomy.
7-Ev
erysoci
etyi
sdi
vi
dedont
hebasesofowner
shi
pornoneowner
shi
poft
he
 meansofpr
oduct
ion.

Maj
orTakeawayf
rom t
het
heor
y(Mar
xistt
heor
y)
1-Ther
ewasnost
atebef
ore.
2-St
atewasf
ormedbecauseofcl
assdi
ff
erences.
3-Ownersofcapit
alwant st
ocont
inueusi
ngt
heappar
atusoft
hest
atet
o
cont
inuei
tsdominance.
4-Stat
ewasnotf ormedtoservethegener
ali
nter
estoft
hemassesr
ather
,
speci
fi
cint
erest
,thatoft
hebour
geoi
sie.
5-Toensur
econt
inui
tyoft
heexpl
oit
ati
onoft
hepr
olet
ari
at.

Ev
olut
ionTheor
yoft
heSt
ate:
Al
soknownbyt hename‘ hi
stor
icaltheory
’t heevol
uti
onaltheoryisli
kearej
ect
ionas
wellasasy nt
hesizedversi
onoft hekeyel ementsofallthetheoriesoft
heorigi
nof
st
ate.Itemphasizesthatthestatei snota‘ make’buta‘ growth’.Andnotonebut
manyf act
orshaveplayedthei
rpartinstatebuildi
ng.
Thistheor
yconsi der
st hestat
eneitherasadi vineinstit
uti
onnorasadeli
berat
e
humancont r
ivance.I
tsseesthestatecomingintoexistenceast
heresul
tofnat
ural
evol
uti
on.Thistheoryholdst
hatthesoci
etyevolv
edt hroughti
me.
I
slami
cTheor
yoft
heSt
ate.
Thi
stheor
yhol
dst
hatanI
slami
cst
atei
smeantt
okeepupt
her
eignofGod(
All
ah)
on
ear
th.
Per
spect
ivehast
odowi
th‘
’
viewpoi
nt’
’
.Awayofl
ooki
ngatt
her
olesordut
iesofa
st
ate
PERSPECTI
VESONTHEROLESOFTHESTATE:
Gener
all
y,t
her
ear
ethr
ee(
3)per
spect
ivesont
her
oleoft
hest
ate.
1-
Mini
mal
i
stper
spect
ives
2-
Tot
ali
tar
ianper
spect
ive
3-
Hol
l
ist
icper
spect
ives

MI
NIMALI
STPERSPECTI
VE:
Mini
mali
stperspect
iver
efer
st oasi t
uat
ionwher
estateplay
smi ni
mal
/li
mit
edr ol
es
i
nitrel
ati
onshi
pwi t
hthecit
izens.Thi
stypeofst
atepaysatt
ent
iontoonl
yissuesof
pr
otect
ionofl
i
ves,
proper
ti
esandcr
imes.
The st ate here can be descr i
bed as ‘Nightwat chman’ .The dutyoft he Night
wat chmani st oensurethathismat erisprotect
edf rom allfor
msofhar assmentand
i
nt i
mi dat
ionwhi lehimast erper formshisr outi
nedut i
es.Thi swhatmi nimalstate
doest ociti
zent oguaranteet heirsecuri
tywhilethepr ivatesectorper f
ormsot her
essent i
aldutiesforthestate.Minimalstateisthehighestf orm ofl
iberali
sm wit
ht he
hi
ghestr espectforfundament alhumanr i
ght.Howev er,thereisnst atearoundt he
globeev enU. S.Athatcanbedescr i
beasmi nimalinnature.

TOTALI
TARI
ANSTATE
Ast ateissaidt obet otal
i
tari
anwhent hereisconsi stentabuseofpower.I
tisa
stat
ewher einstrumentofgov ernmentisusedt omal tr
eatciti
zeni
nordert
omake
them conform witht
hewhi msandcapr i
cesoft her ul
ingclass.Themachi
neryoft
he
stat
eisusedf orpol
iti
calvi
olentagai
nstt hecit
izens.Par t
ici
pati
oni
npoli
ti
csinthi
s
typeofstateisensuredbytheuseoff or
ceorr ewar d.
Intot
ali
tar
ianstat
e,thestat
ei nter
venesinpubl i
candpr iv
ateli
vesoft heci
ti
zens.
Thestateforexampledeter
mi nesthenumber sofwi vesorchi l
drenthataciti
zen
shoul
d have,itdetermi
nes the reli
gion t
his ci
ti
zen practi
ce.Inf act
,the st
ate
i
nterv
enesineconomics,
poli
ti
cal andsociall
iv
esofcit
izens

HOLLI
STI
CSTATE
Thist ypeofst at
epossessest hechar acteri
sticsofbot hmi nimalandt otal
i
tari
an
state,i
tisint hemi ddleofmi nimalandt ot
alit
ies.Heret hestateintervenesi npublic
andpr i
vat
el ivesofci ti
zens,buti tallowsci tizenst oenjoycer tainf reedom.Like
freedom toownpr operty
,freedom forci t
izenst odeterminether eli
giont heyworship,
amongot hers.InHol i
sti
cst ate,thestater ecognizesapar ti
cularr el
igionasof fi
cial
reli
gion.Thel eaderi sresponsiblet otheci ti
zenbutdeser vesabsol uteobedience
from theciti
zens.Ther eisal egalframewor kt hatguidestheoper ationoft hestate.
Thest ateregulatesthepricesofessent ialcommodi t
iesinordert oav oidexploi
tat
ion.

THEPHI
LOSOPHYANDCONSTI
TUTI
ONALROLESOFTHENI
GERI
ANSTATE
From i
ndependencetodat
e,Nigeri
ahadfive(5)const
it
uti
onthatincl
ude1960,1963,
1979,1989and1999constit
ution.Pr
esentl
yNigeri
aisoperati
ngundertheprovi
sion
t
h
ofthe1999constit
uti
on.The1999const i
tut
ionbecameef f
ecti
veont he5 ofMay ,
1999.
Theconsti
tut
ioncamei
ntobei
ngwhenthemil
it
arygovernmentofGen.Abdul
sal
ami
Abubakarconduct
edgover
nor
sanddeputi
es,nat
ionalassembl
y,stat
eassembli
es
andlocalgover
nmentcounci
l
s,withtheint
ensi
onhandi
ngpowertoademocrati
cal
l
y
el
ected ci
vil
i
an pr
esi
dentGen.Ol usegunObasanj
o waselect
ed and powerwas
t
h
handedtohim ont
he29 May ,1999.

CBJECTI
VEOFTHE1999CONSTI
TUTI
ON
The1999const
it
uti
onwasanof fshort(
repl
ica)oft
he1979const
it
uti
ont
her
efor
e
theyhav
esi
mil
arobj
ect
ives.Theseobject
ivesare:
1-Theconst
it
uti
onpor
tray
sNi
ger
iaasonei
ndi
vi
sibl
e,I
ndisol
vabl
esov
erei
gn
st
ate.
2-Theprovi
sionoft
heconsti
tut
ioni
ssupr
emeandbi
ndi
ngonal
laut
hor
it
iesand
i
ndiv
idual
s(per
son)wi
thi
ntheNigeri
ant
err
it
ory
.
3-I
tisonl
ythr
oughthepr
ovi
sionsoft
heconst
it
uti
ont
hatl
eader
sofal
llev
elsof
Ni
geri
acanemerge.
4-The1999const
it
uti
onwasest
abl
i
shedt
oensur
etheuni
tyandhar
monyof
Niger
ia.
5-Theconsti
tut
ioninv
olv
est
hepowerofGod f
ort
hepr
otect
ion,uni
tyand
progr
essofNi
geri
a.
SOMEBASI
CATTRI
DUTEOFTHE1999
Theyi
ncl
udet
hef
oll
owi
ng:
1-1999 const
it
uti
on r
ecogni
zes 36 st
ate oft
he f
eder
ati
on and t
he f
eder
al
ter
ri
tor
yofNigeri
a.
2-I
trecogni
zest
hepr
esent(
768)l
ocal
gov
ernment(
6)ar
eacounci
l
sinAbuj
a.
3-I
tal
l
owst
hef
eder
algov
ernmentt
odecl
arest
ateof…….
4-t
heconst i
tutionconcentr
atesmor epoweroft heCentrewhereexcl
usive,
l
egi
slat
ivelistal
lowsonlythefederalgovernmentt
oexerci
sepoweronthem.
I
nessence,excl usi
vel
egisl
ati
velististalki
ngaboutexcl
usi
vepowersofthe
f
eder
algov ernment.
5-theconst
ituti
onprovi
desforconcur
rentl
egi
ti
mel i
stforbot
hfeder
alandst
ate
government.Resi
dentli
sti
sthepowerofthestat
ealone.
6-Theconst
itut
ioncentr
ali
zedtheNi
ger
ianpol
i
ceandot
hersecur
it
yagenci
es
undert
hefederal
government
.

SUPREMACYOFTHENI
GERI
ANCONSTI
TUTI
ON
Supr
emacyoft
heconst
it
uti
onmeanst
hatt
hepr
ovi
sionoft
heconst
it
uti
oni
sabov
e
anyotherl
awinthest
ate.I
tconnot
es(
stat
e)l
awpassedbyanyaut
hor
it
yinv
iol
ati
on
oftheconst
it
uti
onmaybedeclar
ednul
landvoi
d.
Bysupremacyoft heconstit
ution,wear esayi
ngthati ti
st heconstit
uti
ongi v
es
author
it
yand l
egiti
macyt o alloffi
cial
s.I tgi
vesrightand limit
ati
ont o ci
ti
zens,
agenci
esandotherbodiesinthecount ry.Insummar y
,theconstit
uti
onist hebasic
andulti
mat
elawofNi geri
athatnoot herlawcancontradi
ct.Secti
ononesubsect i
on
oneofthe1999constit
uti
on‘’thisconsti
tuti
onissupremeandi tsprovi
sionshal
lbe
bi
ndingonal
lauthori
ti
esandper sonthroughoutt”
.

WHYNI
GERI
ANCONSTI
TUTI
ONI
SSUPREME
THEf
oll
owi
ngsar
ewhyt
heNi
ger
ianconst
it
uti
oni
ssupr
eme
1-Thepr
ovi
sionoft
heconst
it
uti
oni
sul
ti
mat
eandsupr
eme.
2-Noot
herl
awcancont
radi
ctt
hepr
ovi
sionoft
heconst
it
uti
on.
3-Anylawt
hatv
iol
atest
hepr
ovi
sionoft
heconst
it
uti
oncanbedecl
arednul
land
voi
d.
4-Theconst
it
uti
oni
sthebasi
clawofNi
ger
ia.
5-Theconst
it
uti
ongi
vesl
egi
ti
macyt
oper
soni
naut
hor
it
y.
6-Theconsti
tut
ionspel
l
soutitcont
entandl
i
mitofpowerexer
cisabl
ebyt
he
feder
ati
on,
stateandl
ocal
gover
nments.

POWERSOFTHEFEDERALREPUBLI
COFNI
GERI
A
Allpost-
independenceconst i
tutionhav esti
pulatedthepower soft hefederalr
epubl i
c
ofNigeriabutbecauseoft hefactt hatthe1999const i
tut
ioni stheonei nuse.Itwi ll
beadopt edinidenti
fyi
ngthepower softhef ederalr
epubli
cofNi geria.Powersoft he
federalr epubl
ic ofNi geria connot es the power s of t he t hree (3) arms of
government s:t
heexecutives,legislat
ivesandt hejudici
ary,aswel lasot herstatutory
bodiesenshr i
nedint heconst it
ution.Thepower soft hefeder alrepublicofNi ger i
a
weresetouti nparttwo(ii
)oft he1999const it
uti
on.Itisimpor tancet ostatethatt he
constit
utionhasgiventhepower st omakel awsf orNigeri
a.
Theexecut
ivesisgi
v enpowertoi
nit
iat
ethelaws,assentandexecutethelawsaft
er
passedbythelegi
slatur
e.Whil
ethejudi
ciar
yisint
erpret
ingtheselaws.Thesecond
schedul
eofthe1999constit
uti
onsetout(68)i
temsfortheexclusi
veli
st.
Theli
sti
sthelegi
slat
ivepowersoft
hefeder
alr
epubl
i
cofNiger
iaandt
hesespowers
arevest
edint henati
onalassembl
y.Thefoll
owi
ngaresomeoft heit
emsi nthe
excl
usi
veli
st:
1-Accountoft
hegov
ernmentoft
hef
eder
al:of
fi
ces,
por
tsandaut
hor
it
iesunder
 t
hef
eder
algov
ernment
.
2-Ar
ms,
ammuni
ti
onsandex
plosi
ves:
3-Av
iat
ioni
ncl
udi
ngai
rpor
ts,
saf
etyofai
rcr
aft
s,passenger
sandgoods.
4-Awar
dofnat
ional
tit
les,
honor
,decor
ati
onandanyot
herdi
gni
ti
es.
5-Bor
rowi
ngofmoneyf
rom out
sideNi
ger
ia.
6-Censusandev
ery
thi
ngt
hathast
odowi
thi
t.
7-Cr
eat
ionofst
ates.
8-Cur
rency
,coi
nageandl
egal
tender
.
9-Def
ense
10-
Dipl
omat
icr
elat
ions.
11-
Depor
tat
ionofper
sonwhoar
enotci
ti
zens.
12-
Nucl
earener
gy.
13-
Mil
i
tar
yincl
udi
ngar
my,
nav
y,andai
rfor
ce.
14-
TheNi
ger
ian……aswel
lasal
l
15-
Mineandmi
ner
alsi
ncl
udi
ngoi
lfi
elds
16-
Passpor
tandv
isas.
17-
Pri
sons.
18-
Power
soft
henat
ional
assembl
y.
19-
Decl
arat
ionofpubl
i
chol
dings.
20-
Rai
l
way
s

CI
TIZENSHI
P
Citi
zenshi
phav ebeendef i
neddif
ferentlybydi f
fer
entschol ars;howev er,cit
izencan
bedef i
nedast helegalstatusofani ndivi
dualinagivenst ate.Andt hati ndi
v i
dualis
regardedasaBonaf edemember /subjectofthestate.Witht her eci
procalr i
ghtsand
duti
es.cit
izenshi
pbest owscertai
ndut iesont hesubject,
whi lethestat eisexpect ed
todischar
gecer t
ainf uncti
onsonbehal fofthecit
izens,theent itl
ementofaci t
izen
dist
ingui
shesasubj ectfrom f
orei
gnersl ave.

CHARATERI
STI
CSOFCI
TIZENSHI
P
Ther
ear
ebasi
cal
l
ythr
ee(
3)char
act
eri
sti
csofcapt
ainshi
pasf
oll
ows:
 1-All
egi
ancetothestate:t
hismeansrespect
ingbasi
cideal
softhest
ate.These
i
dealsi
ncludethephil
osophyofthestat
e,t
heconstit
uti
on,t
hegoal
s,thecoat
ofarm,nati
onalant
hem etc.
Al
legi
anceal
soimpl
iesdef
endi
ngthest
atei
ntheev
entofwar
,……aswel
las
pr
omot i
ngt
heimageoft
hecountr
y…
2-Prov
isionofci v
ilandpoli
ti
calri
ghts:ci
ti
zenshi
pgivesaciti
zencert
ainri
ght
s
andprivi
legeswhi chafor
eignerisnotenti
tl
edto.Example,r
ightt
ov ot
eand
bevotedf oraswel l
asdef
endingthestat
eagainstanyhar
m.
3-Promot i
onofgener
alhappinessandcommonwel lbeing:ci
ti
zenshipdemands
forharmoniousco-
exi
stencesamongf ell
owciti
zen.Citi
zensar eexpect
edto
tol
erateoneanotherandbet hei
rbrother
s’keepers.Theyar eexpectedto
prot
ectone another’
sdignityand promoteotherv i
rt
uest hatwillensur
e
happinessandcommonwel l
bei
ng.

WHOI
SACI
TIZEN?
Aciti
zeni
sonewhoenj oysspeci
fi
edright
sandprivi
l
egesinaccor
dancewi t
hthe
pr
ovisi
onoft
heconst
it
utionofthestat
e.Acit
izeni
slegalmemberorresi
dentofa
st
ate.
Whodi
schar
gesthedut
iesbest
oweduponhi
m byt
heconst
it
uti
onandot
herext
ent
l
awsoft
hestat
e?
1-Aciti
zenoweshisal
l
egi
ancet
othest
ateandcanl
aydownhi
sli
fef
ort
he
sakeoft
hestat
e.
2-A cit
izen isonewho canv ot
eand v ot
ed forwithlibert
ytot hehighest
economi c,soci
aland pol
it
icalst
atusi nthe stat
e.Inr et
urnthe st
atei s
expectedtotheciti
zenandprovi
destheenablingenvi
ronmentthatwil
lall
ow
thecit
izentoenjoyhi
sri
ghtsandpri
vil
eges.

TYPESOFCI
TIZENSHI
P
Basi
cal
l
y,t
her
etwo(
2)t
ypesofci
ti
zenshi
pasf
oll
ows:
1-Ci
ti
zenshi
pbybi
rt
h
2-Ci
ti
zenshi
pbyar
ti
fi
cial
means
Cit
izenshi
pbybi r
th:meansaper
sonbeacit
izenofNi
ger
iat
hroughhi
spar
ent
sor
anyoneoft hem.Thi
sisdi
vi
dedi
ntot
wo(2)
 A-Jus-sangui
nis:t hi
smeansruleofbl
oodr el
ati
on,asituat
ionwher
eachild
fol
lowshispar entsandbecomesacit
izenir
respect
iveofhispl
aceofbi
rt
h.
Thismeansci tizenbypar
ent.

B-Jus-soli
:thi
smeansachi ldbecomesaci ti
zenbasedont hepl
acehe/she
i
s bor ne.Parentofthe chil
d who ar e notNi ger
ians r
emain al
ien or
forei
gners,butachil
dt heygivebi
rtht oinNi ger
iabecomesaci ti
zenof
Nigeri
a.Thisiswhati
scal l
eddual-
cit
izenship:thi
smeansaci t
izenhavi
ng
cit
izenshi
poft wo(
2)state.

Ci
ti
zenshi
pbyar ti
fi
cialmeans:t
hisisasi
tuati
onwhereonebecomesacit
izenofa
gi
venstat
enottroughhisparent
s.ther
ear
et hr
ee(3)waysormethodst
obecomea
ci
ti
zenbyart
if
ici
almeans.
I
. Byr
egi
str
ati
on
I
I. Nat
ural
i
zat
ion(
adopt
ion)
I
II
. Honor
arymeans
A-ByRegi
str
ati
on:
Thisisapr ocessthroughwhichaf orei
gnercanbecomeaci t
izenofNigeri
aby
regi
steri
ng wit
ht he appr
opr
iate aut
hori
ti
es.Buthe mustsatisfythe f
oll
owing
condit
ioninaccor
dancewitht
hesect i
ons26or28of1999const
it
ution.
a)Mustconv
incet
hepr
esi
dentofhi
sint
ent
iont
odomi
cil
einNi
ger
ia.
b)Awomanwhoi
stomar
ryaNi
ger
ianorwhohasbeenmar
ri
edt
oaNi
ger
ian.
c)Aper
sonoffullageandcapaci
tybor
nout
sideNi
ger
iabuthi
sgr
andpar
ent
s
ar
eNi
geri
ans.
d)Non-
Niger
ianchi
l
dwhoi
sadopt
edbyci
ti
zenofNi
ger
ia.
B-Ci
ti
zenshi
pbyAdapt
ati
onorNat
ural
izat
ions
Thi
sisapr ocessthroughwhichfor
eigner
saregr
ant
edciti
zenshipaftertheyhave
metcert
aincondit
ionsasmaybepr escri
bedbyNi
ger
iaconst
it
ution.Buttheperson
hastosat
isf
ythefollowi
ngcondi
ti
ons:
1-Theper
sonhast
obeanadul
t.
2-Theper
sonhast
obeofgoodchar
act
er.
3-Thepersonmusthav
eli
vedi
nNi
ger
iaf
orami
nimum of(
15)y
ear
s.(
for
expat
ri
ate)
4-The per
son musthav
egood under
standi
ng oft
he cul
tur
e,cust
omsand
 l
anguageofNi
ger
ia.
5-Apersonmusthav
emadesi
gni
fi
cantcont
ri
but
iont
oNi
ger
iai
nhi
sar
eaof
exper
ti
se.
6-Aper
sonmustswearanoat
hofal
l
egi
ance.
7-Theper
sonmustr
enouncehi
sot
herci
ti
zenshi
p.
Al
lthesecondi
ti
onsundernat
ural
i
zat
ional
soappl
i
edt
oci
ti
zenshi
pbyr
egi
str
ati
on.
C-Honor aryci
ti
zenshi
p:isasi t
uat
ionwhereciti
zenshi
pofNigeri
aisgr ant
edtoa
dist
inguish oreminentfor
eignerwithoutnecessar
il
yfoll
owi
ng thepr ocedur
eof
natural
izat
ionorregi
str
ati
on.Theciti
zenshi
pisgrantedasamar kofrespecttothe
reci
pient……….

OBLI
GATI
ONOFACI
TIZEN
The fol
lowing ar
e some oft he obl
i
gat
ion ofa ci
ti
zen.The same wi
tht
he
char
acteri
sti
csofcit
izenshi
p.

RI
GHTSOFACI
TIZEN
The foll
owing are some oft
he r
ight
s ofci
ti
zens as st
ipul
ated by t
he 1999
const
itut
ionofNigeri
a.
1-Ri
ghtt
oli
fe.
2-Ri
ghtt
odi
gni
tyofhumanper
son
3-Ri
ghtt
oper
sonal
li
ber
ty.
4-Ri
ghtt
ofai
rhear
ing.
5-Ri
ghtt
ofr
eedom ofmov
ement
.
6-Righttof
reedom f
rom di
scl
i
nat
ionont
hegr
oundsofsex,r
ace,t
ri
be,pol
i
tical
opini
onandassoci
ati
on.
7-Ri
ghtt
ofr
eedom oft
hought
,consci
enceandr
eli
gion.

Dut
iesofaci
ti
zen
Thef
oll
owi
ngar
esomeoft
hedut
iesofaci
ti
zen:
1-Respectoft
heconst
it
uti
on,
itpr
ovi
sionsandi
deal
s.
2-Respectofnat
ional
ant
hem,
nat
ional
pledgeandl
egi
ti
mat
eaut
hor
it
y.
3-Pr
omot
ionoft
heNi
ger
ia,hergood name,herpr
est
igeand r
ender
ing of
 nat
ional
ser
vice.
4-Respectt
other
ight
sdi
gni
ti
esofot
her
.
5-Tol
i
vei
npeaceandhar
monywi
thot
herci
ti
zens
6-To makecont
ri
buti
onstotheadv
ancement,pr
ogr
essandwel
l
bei
ngofa
ci
ti
zen’
scommunit
yandNi
geri
aasawhole.
7-Assi
sti
ngl aw enf
orcementagenci
esi
nthemaintenanceofl
awandor deras
mayber equi
redfrom t
imetoti
meespeci
all
ythr
oughshari
ngofi
ntel
l
igence.

LI
STOFPEOPLEGI
VENHONOURARYCI
TIZENSHI
PBYNI
GERI
ANGOVERNMENT
1-MuhammadAl
i(2014)–Amer
icanpr
ofessi
onal
boxer
.
2-DesmondTut
u(2013)–Sout
hAf
ri
canAngl
i
cancl
eri
candact
ivi
st.
3-Bor
isJohnson(
2020)–pr
imemi
nist
eroft
heUni
tedKi
ngdom.
4-Ji
mmycar
ter(
2012)–For
merpr
esi
dentoft
heuni
tedst
ates.
5-ThoboMbeki
(2010)–For
merpr
esi
dentofSout
hAf
ri
ca.
6-Nel
sonmandel
a(1996)–For
merPr
esi
dentofSout
hAf
ri
ca.
7-RosaPar
ks(
2006)–Amer
icanci
vi
lri
ghtact
ivi
st.
8-Mar
ti
nLut
herKi
ngI
II(
2006)–Amer
icanci
vi
lri
ghtact
ivi
st.
9-Wangar
iMaat
hai
(2006)–Keny
anenv
ironment
ali
standNobel
laur
eat
e.
10-
Kof
iAnnan(
2008)–f
ormeruni
tednat
ionsecr
etar
ygener
al.

CHALLENGESOFCI
TIZENSHI
PINNI
GERI
A
Ci
ti
zenshi
pinNi
ger
iai
sfaci
ngal
otofchal
l
engesasf
oll
ows:
1-Const it
ut i
onalLacunarorgap:t heNi geri
anespeci allythe1999const it
ution
thatisusednowposest hefirstchal l
engesofci ti
zenshi pinNi geria.I
nst eadof
recogni zingal lNi geriansasci ti
zensanywher etheyf oundt hemsel veswi thin
thecount r ysect i
on318( i
)par agraph( vi
)recognizesst ateofor igi
n,i tstate
thus‘ belongst oori tgr ammat i
calex pressionwhenusedwi thar eferencet oa
personi nast ater eferst oaper sonei therofwhosepar entsoranyofwhose
grantpar ent swasamemberof acommuni tyindi genoust ot hatst at e.
Recogni zingst ateofor igi
nbyt heconst i
tuti
onisthef ir
stmaj orchal l
engesof
cit
izenshi pi nNi geria.Nomat terthey earspent ,acitizencannotenj oycer tain
privi
legesandr ightsi nast ater athert hanhi sst ateofor igi
n.Ev enr ight
guarant eedbyt heconst i
tut
ion.Af oreignerthatnational i
zecanenj oycer tain
ri
ghtandpr i
vi
legeswhi chaNi gerianci ti
zenresi
dingi nast aterathert hanhi s
 owncannotenj
oy.
’

2-Princi
ple offeder
alchar acter
:this pri
nci
pleis also recognized by the
constit
uti
on.Itis a situati
on where Niger
ia are appointed i
nto cert
ain
positi
onsbasedont hei
rstateoforigi
n,publ
icoff
icesaregi v
ent oci
tizennot
basedonmer i
tbutbasedonone’ sorigi
n.Niger
iasupposet obefreebor n,
thatshoul
dbeappointedintopubli
coffi
cesbasedonmer i
t.
3-Quota-
sy stem:thi
sissi
mil
artothepri
nci
plefederalcharacter.I
tisasit
uati
on
whereci t
izenshi
pisnegl
ect
edbutquotasar egiv
ent odi f
ferentstat
esofthe
feder
ationt obef il
l
edbyi ndi
genousoft hestateei t
herbyci vi
lservi
ces,
schoolsetc.
4-Ethni
city
:thisi
sanotherdi
l
emmat oci
ti
zenshi
pi nNigeri
a.manyNigeri
ansare
di
scriminatedwhenitcomestosomenati
onalissues,becauseofthei
rethni
c
background.insomecases,Ni
geri
aar
esubjectedtov i
olenceat
tackbecause
ofthei
rethnicbackgr
ound.
5-Insecuri
ty:manyNigeri
ansar
eleavi
ngthecountrybecauseofinsecuri
tythat
i
sbedev il
ingthenati
on.SomeoftheseNiger
iansabandonedthei
rciti
zenship
andacqui retheci
ti
zenshi
pofanothercountrythatar
erelat
ivel
ystableand
safer.

I
NDI
GENE-
SETTLERDI
CHOTOMY
Thisrefer
stopoli
ti
calphenomenonofgiv
ingident
it
yt ocit
izensinordertodeci
mate
againstthem.Thosethatmi gr
atedf
rom ot
herstateorpar tofNigeri
atosettl
ein
anotherstat
eorpartofthecountr
yar
eseenasf or
eigneroraliens.
Itis cont entious polit
icalissues thatchal lenges many pr ovi
sions ofNi ger
ian
const i
tuti
on f orexampl e:Ni ger
ian constitut
ion says everyci t
izen ofNi geriais
entit
ledt omov efr
eelyt hroughoutNi geri
aandt oresideinanypar t,thereofandno
cit
izenofNi geriashallbeexpel l
edf r
om t hecount r
yorr efusedent rytheretoex i
st
theref rom.Ont heaccountofi ndigene-settl
erdichotomy,Ni geri
ahasi nthepast
witnessedv ar i
ousv i
olenceconf l
ictparti
cularl
yinJos, sout
hernKaduna, southwest,
southeastet c.manyliveshav ebeenl ostbecauseoft heseproblems.
Thef
oll
owi
ngar
esomeoft
her
easont
hatf
uel
indi
gene-
set
tl
erdi
chot
omyi
nNi
ger
ia.
1-St
ruggl
eoverpower
:Becauseoft
hechai
rmanshi
pofJosNor
thmanyl
i
ves
werel
osti
nPlat
eaust
ate.
2-Str
uggl
eandcompetit
ionoverscar
ceeconomicresour
cesespeci
all
yland:
thi
scanbeseeni
nthecaseofSout
hernKaduna.
3-Cul
tur
alher
it
ageandr
eli
giousdi
ff
erences:wer
eci
ti
zenhav
edi
ff
erentcul
tur
es
 andreli
giousbel
i
efst
hephenomenonofi
ndi
gene-
set
tl
erdi
chot
omycomes
i
ntoplay.
4-Lopsi
deddi st
ri
buti
onofr esources:isalsoafactorfuel
i
ngi ndi
gene-
set
tl
er
di
chotomy ,wher
eacer t
aingr oupistreat
edunfai
rl
ythenhist
orycomesinto
pl
aytotracetheori
ginoftheinhabit
antofacer
taincommunity
.
5-Distr
ust
:wheretheri
ssuspi
ciousr el
ationshipasigni
tedbyhi
storycul
yur
eor
rel
igi
on,t
hephenomenonofindigence-settl
erdi
chotomycomest opl
ay.

CI
TIZENSHI
PANDTHERI
SINGLEVELOFI
NSECURI
TY
Insecurit
yindiff
erentpartofNi geriahasmadesomeNi geri
anst obecomeci t
izen
l
ess.MANYNI GERIANSWEREdi spl
acedfrom t
heircommuni ty,localgovernment ,
stateandev enthecountryatl arge.TheseNigeri
anshadt of l
eet oothercount ri
es
especiall
yNigeri
anebours.Intheirnewcount r
yofresi
dence,theyar enotrecognized
asci t
izensbutareseenasr efugeesandcannotcomebackt oNi geri
abecauseof
i
nsecur i
ty.Thisissuehascr eatedaser i
ouschal l
enget o ci
tizenshipinNi geria.
Therefore,i
nsecuri
tyhascausedt hef ol
l
owingchal
lengestociti
zenship.
1-Lossofci
ti
zenshi
p.
2-Lossoff
reedom ofmov
ement
.
3-Lossofhumandi
gni
ty.

HUMANRI
GHTS:
Humanr i
ghtr
eferst
of undamentalfreedom thatarebothnat uralandconst
it
uti
onal
whichever
yhumanbei ngisent
it
ledto.Howev eracademi cal
lytheconceptofhuman
ri
ghthavedef
ineddi
fferent
lybydif
ferentscholars.Forsomeschol ars,
humanr i
ght
s
areinal
i
enabl
er i
ght
st hatever
yper soni sentit
ledtobyv i
rt
uesofbei ngahuman
bei
ng.
Somescholarsseehumanrightasmor
alr
ight
sthatev
erybei
ngsupposet
oenj
oyby
vi
rt
uesofbeingmoralandhuman.
Anothersetofschol arsseehumanr i
ghtasl ibert
ies,immuni t
iesandbenef i
tst hat
everyhumanbei ngl i
vi
ngi nagi v
ensetti
ngsupposet oenj oy.Inanutshell,human
ri
ghtsar enaturalandl egalrightsaswel lasf r
eedom t hathumanbei ngsenjoyany
wheret heyfoundt hemsel vesacrossthegl obe.Theser i
ghtsthatarebeenjoyedar e
bl
indaboutone’ sr ace,sex,national
it
y,et
hni ci
ty,l
anguage,reli
gionetc.humanr ights
arenotdet er
minebypol iti
cal,economicorsoci alstat
usofi ndi
v i
dual
s.Theypr otect
i
ndividualsandgr oupsf rom discri
minati
on,politi
cal,l
egalorsocialabuseany wher e
i
nt hewor l
d.
I
tisi
mpor
tantt
oknowt
hef
oll
owi
ngabouthumanr
ight
s.
Fundament
alf
eat
uresofhumanr
ight
1-Humanrightispr
oductofhumannat
ure:t
hathumanbei
ngi
sbor
nwi
th
cer
tai
nri
ghts.
2-Rightare notcr
eated by t
he stat
e;however
,state onl
y maint
ain and
coordi
nat
ethoser
ight
sbygivi
ngthem l
egal
sanct
ionandbacki
ng.
3-Humanri
ghtsaresocial
l
yandnat
ural
l
yrecogni
zedandt
heyar
emeantt
o
ser
vet
heint
erestofal
l
.
4-Everyoneisinher
entl
yenti
tl
edf r
om humanri
ght
sbyv
irt
ueofbei
ngahuman
being.Ther
efore,
theyar
einali
enabl
eright
.
5-Theyarei
ndi
vi
sibl
e,i
nterr
elat
edandindependent
.Ifone’
sri
ght
simpr
oves,i
t
aff
ect
stheot
herpeopl
e’sri
ghtsandv
iceversa.

BASI
SOFHUMANRI
GHTS
Humanr ight
sareprovi
dedint heconst i
tuti
onofdi
ff
erentstat
esandi nt
ernational
organi
zati
onespeci
all
ytheuni tednation.The1948uni t
ednat i
ondeclarati
onof
humanr i
ghtisthebasisforther ecogniti
onofhumanr i
ghts.Thi
sprovisionwas
t
h
procl
aimedbytheuni
tednati
onsgener alassembl
yonthe10 Dec, 1948andi tstat
e
asfoll
ows:
1-Ev
ery
onei
sfr
eeandshoul
dbet
reat
edi
nthesameway
.
2-Ever
yonei
sequaldespi
tedi
ff
erencesi
nski
ncol
our
,sex,r
eli
gion,l
anguages
l
ike.
3-Noonehasr
ightt
otr
eatanot
herassl
ave.
4-Nohasr
ightt
ohur
tort
ort
ureanyper
son.
5-Ev
eryhasr
ightt
obet
reat
edequal
l
ybef
oret
hel
aw.
6-Thi
slawi
sthesamef
orev
ery
one.I
tshoul
dbeappl
i
edi
nthesamewayt
oal
l
.
7-Noonehasrightt
oimpr
isonanot
herper
sonunj
ust
lyorexpelanot
herper
son
f
rom hi
scountr
y.
8-Ev
ery
onehasr
ightt
ofai
rpubl
i
ctr
ial
.
9-Ev
ery
oneshoul
dbeconsi
der
edi
nnocentunt
ilgui
l
tispr
oved.
10-
Ever
yonehast
oaskf
orhel
pifheorshef
aceshar
m.
11-
Ever
yonehasr
ightt
opr
ivat
eli
fei
ncl
udi
ngf
ami
l
y.
12-
Ever
yonehasr
ightt
otr
avel
ashewi
shes.
13-
Ever
yonehasr
ightt
ogot
oanot
hercount
ry
 14-
Ever
yonehasr
ightt
omar
ryandhav
eaf
ami
l
y.
15-
Ever
yonehasr
ightt
oownpr
oper
tyandpossessi
on.
16-
Ever
yonehasr
ightt
ogot
oschool
.
Theabov ear
et heuniv
ersaldecl
arat
ionofhumanright
swheretheyar
eexpect
edto
be t
he basis ofst at
e provisi
on ofhuman ri
ght.The univ
ersalhuman r
ight
s
decl
arat
ionofthe1948i st
hebasisofallhumanr
ights.
Thi
siswhythe1999Ni
ger
ia’
sconsti
tut
ioni
nadherencet
othisuni
versaldeclar
ati
on
ofhumanri
ghtmadehumanr i
ghtprov
isi
oninchapter(
4)sect
ion(33)to( 43)and
st
atesasf
oll
ows:
1-Ever
yper sonhasr
ighttol
if
eandnooneshal
lbedepr
ivedi
ntent
ional
l
yofhi
s
ri
ghtexceptasdet
erminebythel
aw.
2-Ev er
yi ndiv
idualis enti
tl
ed t
or espectforthe di
gnit
yofhi s person and
therefore,
nobodyshal lbesubj
ecttotort
ureanddegradi
ngtr
eatment ,hel
din
slaveryorser vi
tude,r
equir
edtoper f
ormf or
ceorcompulsor
yl abourexcept
for
I
,anyl
abourr
equi
redi
nconsequenceofasent
enceor
der
edbyacour
t
i
i.anyl
abourofmemberofthearmedforceoft
hef
eder
ati
onort
heNi
ger
ian
poli
cef
orcei
npursuanceoft
hei
rdut
ies.
3-Ever
ypersonisenti
tl
edtohi
spersonl
iber
tyandnoper
sonshoul
dbedepr
ived
ofsuchl
i
bertyexceptint
hefol
l
owing:
i
.executi
onofanorderofacour
tinr
espectofcr
imi
nalof
fenceofwhi
chone
hasbeenfoundgui
l
ty.
i
i.i
nthecaseofaper sonwhohasnotat
tai
ntheageof18y
ear
sfort
he
pur
poseofhi
seducat
ionorwel
far
e.
i
ii
.per
sonsuff
eri
ngf
rom i
nfect
iousorcont
agi
ousdi
sease,unboundmi
nd,
dr
ugaddi
ctet
c.
4-Everyoneisentit
ledt
of ai
rhear
ingwi
thi
nast
ipul
atedt
imebyacour
tor
tr
ibunalest
abl
ishedbylaw.
5-Ever
yoneisenti
tl
edtofr
eedom ofthoughtconscienceandreli
gion,i
ncl
uding
fr
eedom t
opracti
ceone’
srel
igi
oninpubli
candev encallot
herstohisrel
i
gion.
6-Every
oneisent
it
ledt
ofr
eedom ofexpr
essi
oni
ncl
udi
ngf
reedom t
ohol
dan
opini
on.
7-Everyper
sonisenti
tl
edtoassemblefr
eel
yandassoci
atewi
thot
herper
sons,
i
ncludi
ngjoi
ninguni
ons,
pol
iti
calpar
ti
eset
c.
8-Ev
eryci
ti
zenofNi
ger
iai
sent
it
ledt
omov
efr
eel
yandt
oresi
dei
nanypar
tof
 Ni
ger
iaandnoper
sonshal
lbeexpel
l
edf
rom Ni
ger
iaordeni
edent
ry.
9-Ev
erycit
izenofNiger
iashallhav
ether
ightt
oacqui
reandowni
mmov
abl
e
pr
oper
tyanywher
ei nNi
geri
a.

TYPESOFHUMARI
GHTS
Gener
all
y,schol
arsdi
vi
dedhumanr
ight
sint
otwo(
2)gr
oupsorcl
assesandt
heyar
e
asfol
l
ows.
1.Negat
iver
ight
2.Posi
ti
ver
ight

Negat
iver
ight
s:
thesear er i
ghtsthatcannotbet emper edwit
hbyeitherthestateoranyent i
ty,they
aresacr osanct.Theyincluderi
ghttl i
fe,ri
ghttoli
bert
y,righttosecur i
tyofper son,
recognit
ionbef orethelaw,equalprotecti
onofthelaw,remedyf orv i
olati
onofr i
ght,
fairandpubl i
ctri
al,ri
ghttomarri
age, ri
ghttoownproperti
es,parti
cipati
oni ncult
ural
l
ife,ri
ghtofpar enttochoosethet ypesofeducati
onfortheirchil
dren,freedom from
slavery
.
Theyareri
ghtthatnoonehaspowerov
ert
hem excepti
ftheci
ti
zensvi
olat
ethel
aws
ofthestat
e,t
herefor
enegat
iver
ight
sar
eexcl
usi
veright
softheci
ti
zen.
Posi
ti
ver
ight
:
Thesear edut i
esandr esisti
vi
ti
esthatthest ateperfor
msf ort heci t
izens.Theyright
thatemanat ef r
om cont ractthatthest atehad wi t
ht heci t
izens.Theyar et he
responsivi
ti
est hatthestatedischar
gesi nor dertoimprov ethel ivesoft hecit
izens.
Eg,rightsfort hev ul
nerablepeopletobepr ot
ectedf r
om t hepower ful
.Rightsof
i
nnocentci tizenst obepr ot
ectedfrom t hecr i
minals.Ri ghtofci ti
zenst ogi ven
educationbyt hest at
e,ri
ghttomedi calcareandf acil
ity
,r i
ghtf orempl oyment,right
forremuner ati
onf orworkers,ri
ghtf
orpensi onf orpensioner s,rightforprovi
sionof
socialameni ti
esetc.
I
nmostcapit
ali
ststate,emphasisismoreonnegat i
veri
ght
s,whi
lesoci
ali
stgiv
e
mor
eemphasisonposi ti
veri
ghts.However
,inwhicheverst
atet
hetworightsar
e
i
mport
ant(
soci
ali
ststatesmostl
yarewelf
air
istst
ates)
.
CONSTRI
ANTSTOTHEREALI
ZATI
ONOFHUMANRI
GHTSI
NNI
GERI
A
1-Abuseoftheconstitut
ion:Nigerianconstit
utionhasmadepr ov i
sionf orboth
posi
ti
veandnegati
ver i
ghtsofci t
izens,howevertheconsti
tut
ionof tenabused.
Forexample,nigeran constituti
on is againstarbit
rar
y arrest,t ortur
e or
i
nhumantreat
ment ,
unfortunatelyallt
hesearedailyoccur
rencesinNi geri
a.
 2-Inst
abil
it
y ofthe judiciar
yt o per
form itsrol
e ef
fect
ively
:the j
udi
ciar
y
supposedtobeindependentt oensur
et hatnobodyi
sabov ethel
awaswel l
asadherencest
other uleoflaw.
3-Pover
ty:thi
sisanot herconstr
ainttotheachiev
ementofhumaninNiger
ia,a
si
gnif
icantnumberofNi geri
ansar ebatt
li
ngforwhattoputont
hetabl
e,even
i
fthei
rr i
ght
si svi
olated,
theyhav enomeanst osecurej
ust
icef
ort
hemselves
andnopr ovi
sioni
smadef orsuchcit
izenbythestat
e.
4-HeathyEconomy :vi
abl
eeconomyi skeytothereali
zati
onofhumanr ighti
n
anygivensociety
.Becauseheathyeconomyguaranteesli
keemploymentand
mini
mi zat
ionofcrimes.Vi
abl
eeconomywi l
ltr
anslat
et oqual
i
tyeducat
ionand
thegeneraldevel
opmentofthesoci
ety.
5-Inef
fect
ive Press:t
he acti
vi
ti
es ofthe Nigeri
a mediaist o ensurethat
prot
ecti
onofhumanr i
ghtisconst
rai
ntbymanyf act
0rsespeci
all
yprofi
t,when
humanrightcasesar
ecorrect
edwithadver
ti
sers.
6-Fail
ureofhumanr ightcommi ssi
ont oper for
mt oexpectati
on:thereare
manyhumanr i
ghtscommi ssi
onsi nNiger i
aandt hymeantt osafegui
deand
protecttheri
ghtsofNigeri
ans,howev er,part
icul
arl
yt heNat
ionalHumanRight
Commi ssi
on are acti
ng as an appendage oft he gover
nmenti nst
ead of
standingtoprotecttheri
ghtsoft hecit
izens.Howev er,t
her
earemanyhuman
ri
ghts,non-governmental
organizati
onsthatar efi
ll
ingthi
sgap.

POLI
TICALOBLI
GATI
ON,
CIVI
LDUTI
ESANDPATRI
OTI
SM
Poli
ti
calobl
igat
ionarei
ssuesthatar
emeantt opromotenat
ionaluni
ty,peaceand
goodgov er
nance.Theyareduti
esthatareperf
ormedbybot hthestateandt he
ci
ti
zens.Theref
ore,
wecandivi
depoli
ti
cal
obli
gati
onsint
otwo(2):
1.Obl
i
gat
ionsofst
ate
2.Ci
vi
ldut
iesofci
ti
zens
Obli
gati
onsofstate:Obli
gationsofstateespeci
all
yleadersincl
udet
hefol
lowi
ng
al
thoughtheyarenotexclusivel
yforthestat
eorl eadersal
onebutthest
ateand
l
eadersarethemaj
oractor
sf ortheachi
evementsofthese.
1-Prot
ecti
onofci
vi
cri
ght
sandensur
ingt
hatci
ti
zensper
for
mthei
rdut
iesf
or
thest
ate.
2-Pr
omot
ionofal
lact
ivi
ti
est
hatwi
l
lensur
euni
tyandhar
monyi
nNi
ger
ia.
’
3-Pr
omot
ionofi
nter
-Af
ri
cansol
i
dar
it
y.
4-Promoti
on ofgood gover
nance and pr
omoti
on ofallacti
vit
ies thatwil
l
enhancegoodgov
ernanceaswel
lasenhanci
ngthewel
fareofthecit
izens.
 5-Consol
i
dat
ionofNi
ger
ia’
suni
ty.
6-Oat
hofof f
icebyal
lappoi
nteesandt
hoseel
ect
edaswel
last
hosehol
ding
of
fi
cial
off
ices.
Obl
i
gat
ionofci
ti
zens:
thef
oll
owi
ngar
etheobl
i
gat
ionsofci
ti
zens:
1-Al
l
egi
ancet
othest
ate,
whi
chmeansr
espectoft
hebasi
cideal
soft
hest
ate.
2-Pr
omot
ionofgener
alhappi
nessandcommonwel
l
bei
ng.

CI
VICDUTI
ES
Thefol
lowi
ngsar
esomeoft
heci
vi
cdut
iest
hatci
ti
zensar
eexpect
edt
oper
for
min
thei
rst
ate.
1-Respectoft
heconst
it
uti
on,
itspr
ovi
sioni
deal
s,
2-Respectf
ornat
ional
ant
hem,
nat
ional
pledgeandl
egi
ti
mat
eaut
hor
it
ies.
3-Pr
omotionoft
hepowerofNi
ger
iai
ncl
udi
ngheri
mage,hergoodnameand
pr
est
ige.
4-Tov
oteandt
obev
otedf
or.
5-Tol
eav
einpeaceandhar
monywi
thot
herci
ti
zens.
6-Tomakecont
ri
but
iont
othedev
elopmentandgr
eat
erNi
ger
ia.
7-Topayt
ax.
8-Toassi
stsecur
it
yor
gani
zat
ionset
c.

PATRI
OTI
SM
Thi
scanbedef i
nedasadeli
ber
atedecisi
onofci
ti
zenst
olovethei
rcountry,tobe
devot
edtothei
rcount
ry,
topr
omotehergoodi
mageaswellasr
espectal
lidealsand
val
uesofthest
ate.

CHARACTERI
STI
CSOFPATRI
OTI
SM
1-Loyal
ty:t
hismeansstandi
ngwi
tht
hest
atei
rr
espect
iveofci
rcumst
ances
ei
therwar
,peaceet
c.
2-Respect
ing i
deal
s ofthe st
ate,r
espect
ing t
he nat
ionalant
hem,nat
ional
pl
edge,const
it
uti
onet
c.
3-Nat
ional
pri
de:
isasi
tuat
ionwher
eaci
ti
zeni
spr
oudofhi
scount
ry.
4-Di
schar
gingci
vi
cdut
ies.
BENEFI
TSOFPATRI
OTI
SM
1-I
tbr
ingsdev
elopment
2-I
tpr
eser
vescul
tur
eandher
it
age
3-I
tbr
ingsuni
tyandcohesi
on
4-I
tbr
ingsaboutnat
ional
ident
it
y
5-I
tmot
ivat
esci
ti
zenst
odi
schar
geci
vi
cdut
ies
6-I
tbr
ingsaboutdi
l
igencei
nthedi
schar
geofpubl
i
cser
vice.