Posted by Chester Morton / Monday, 5 December 2016 / No comments
The features of the Macpheson Constitution of Nigeria
Introduction
The Macpherson constitution of Nigeria became effective in
1951 in response to the agitations of the political elements in Nigeria at the
time led by Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe.
FEATURES OF THE
CONSTITUTION
Central Legislative Council
The Macpherson constitution made provision for a Central
Legislative Council with a single chamber called “House of Representatives”.
This Council consisted of 148 members out of which 136 were elected from the
Regional Houses. Six of them were ex-official members and six were appointed by
the Governor. Finally, the Governor served as the President of the Council.
Central Executive Council
The constitution also made provision for a Central Executive
Council which was called the “Council of Ministers”. It was made up of twelve
Ministers, four of whom were Nigerians. It also had six ex-official members.
Their main duty was to formulate policies and to implement them.
Regional Divisions
Another feature of the constitution was that the country was
divided into three distinct but unequal regions; the Western, Eastern and
Northern regions.
Regional Legislative Councils
The constitution made provision for the creation of Regional
Legislative Councils which were called “Houses of Assembly”. In the North and
in the West, a bicameral legislature was created called the “House of Assembly”
and the “House of Chiefs”. However, in the Eastern Region only one chamber was
created called the “House of Assembly”.
Regional Executive Councils
The constitution created Regional Executive Councils. They were
headed by the Lieutenant-Governors in the regions. The members, including four
Nigerians, were appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor.
Public Service Commission
The constitution made provision for the creation of a Public
Service Commission. The main functions of this Commission were to establish
modalities for the recruitment, selection, appointment, promotion, transfer and
or dismissal of Civil and Public Servants.
The Governor
The constitution made a provision for the position of a
Governor. The Governor was appointed by the Monarch on the recommendations of
the Secretary of State for the colonies. He was in charge of the administration
of the entire country.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Highlight six features of the Macpherson constitution of
Nigeria. [12 marks]
