Parliament of Nigeria

The Parliament of Nigeria, also known as the Federal Parliament, was the federal legislative institution of Nigeria during the final phase of British colonial constitutional development, the achievement of independence in 1960, and the First Nigerian Republic. It was based at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos and operated within a Westminster-derived constitutional framework. The institution consisted of the head of state, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, with legislative authority distributed among these components according to the constitutional arrangements of the period. The Parliament developed from earlier colonial representative institutions. The Legislative Council of Nigeria, established in 1946, was expanded under the Macpherson Constitution of 1951. That constitutional settlement created a federal House of Representatives with 185 seats and gave the emerging national legislature a broader representative function. Nigeria's constitutional evolution subsequently produced a more developed federal parliamentary system in advance of independence. At independence in 1960, the Parliament became the legislature of the Federation of Nigeria. The head of state was Queen Elizabeth II, represented constitutionally in Nigeria by a governor-general, while executive political leadership was exercised through the parliamentary system. The Parliament's structure reflected British and Commonwealth precedents, but it also incorporated arrangements intended to accommodate Nigeria's regional and federal political organization. The regional legislatures had comparable chamber structures, including Houses of Assembly and Houses of Chiefs. The federal Parliament contained an upper chamber, the Senate, and a directly elected lower chamber, the House of Representatives. The House was generally the dominant chamber by constitutional convention. The Senate was modeled partly on the British House of Lords and the Canadian Senate. Under the arrangements described for the period, the Senate included regional representation, presidential appointments, and representatives associated with the Federal Territory of Lagos. The House of Representatives was the principal elected component of the federal legislature, and its members were commonly referred to as members of Parliament. Nigeria's transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic in 1963 brought a modest adjustment to the parliamentary system. Nnamdi Azikiwe became president, while the parliamentary legislature continued to operate within a Westminster-influenced framework. The system remained in place through political instability and military intervention until the later 1970s. Following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed in 1976, General Olusegun Obasanjo initiated a transition intended to end military rule. The constitutional process that followed rejected the previous Westminster model in favor of an American-style presidential system. Under the new constitutional design, the former Parliament was replaced by the National Assembly, a bicameral legislature structurally closer to the United States Congress. The Parliament of Nigeria therefore ceased to exist as the country's federal legislature during the transition to civilian government in 1979. Its institutional legacy survives in Nigeria's continuing use of a bicameral national legislature, although the constitutional basis, executive relationship, and chamber design of the National Assembly differ from those of the former Parliament.

The Parliament of Nigeria emerged from the gradual constitutional development of Nigeria under British colonial rule. Its immediate institutional predecessor was the Legislative Council of Nigeria, created in 1946. That council was subsequently enlarged under the Macpherson Constitution of 1951, which established a 185-seat federal House of Representatives. These reforms broadened the representative basis of the federal government and provided the foundation for the parliamentary arrangements that accompanied Nigerian independence. The federal Parliament became the legislature of the Federation of Nigeria at independence in 1960. It was located at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos and was organized according to principles derived from the Westminster system. Its formal components were the head of state, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives was directly elected and was the principal representative chamber; constitutional convention generally treated it as the dominant house. Members of the House were commonly known as members of Parliament. The Senate served as the upper chamber. Its design drew on British and Canadian precedents, while its membership reflected Nigeria's federal and regional structure. The described composition included representatives connected with the regions, presidential appointees, and members associated with the Federal Territory of Lagos. The arrangements were intended to balance regional interests with the authority of the federal institutions. Nigeria's regional legislatures had related structures, including Houses of Assembly and Houses of Chiefs, giving the country a wider network of parliamentary institutions beyond the federal level. At independence, Queen Elizabeth II was the constitutional head of state of Nigeria, while the parliamentary system provided the framework for the country's federal government. The institutional arrangement was modified when Nigeria became a republic in 1963. Nnamdi Azikiwe became president, and the Parliament continued to operate within a revised republican setting. Despite that change in the formal status of the head of state, the legislature remained recognizably Westminster-derived and retained its Senate-and-House structure. The parliamentary system was eventually displaced during Nigeria's transition away from military rule. After the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed in 1976, General Olusegun Obasanjo initiated a constitutional transition. The resulting constitutional design abandoned the Westminster model in favor of a presidential system modeled more closely on the United States. This change altered the relationship between the executive and legislature and led to the replacement of the former Parliament by the National Assembly. By 1979, the Parliament of Nigeria had ceased to function as the federal legislature. The National Assembly inherited the broad role of national lawmaking but operated within a different constitutional framework and a different presidential system. The former Parliament is therefore best understood as a historical institution of Nigeria's independence-era parliamentary government, rather than as an alternative name for the present-day National Assembly.

• 1979

  Parliament replaced by the National Assembly

  [1]Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org

  The new presidential constitution replaced the Westminster-style Parliament with the bicameral National Assembly.

• 1976

  Transition away from military rule begins

  [1]Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org

  General Olusegun Obasanjo began a transition process after the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed, leading to constitutional replacement of the parliamentary system.

• 1963

  Republican constitutional adjustment

  [1]Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org

  Nigeria's proclamation as a republic brought an adjustment to the parliamentary system and replaced the monarch as head of state with a president.

• 1960

  Parliament becomes the legislature of independent Nigeria

  [1]Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org

  Following independence, the federal parliamentary institution became the legislature of the Federation of Nigeria.

• 1951

  Macpherson Constitution expands federal representation

  [1]Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org

  The Macpherson Constitution expanded the earlier council and created a 185-seat federal House of Representatives.

• 1946

  Legislative Council established as predecessor

  [1]Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org

  The Legislative Council of Nigeria was established and later served as the institutional predecessor to the federal Parliament.

A constitutional and legislative institution rather than a commercial brand; it represented Nigeria's federal parliamentary government during the independence era and the First Republic.

• 1979

  Adoption of a presidential constitutional systemStrategy

  Background

  During the transition from military rule, Nigeria drafted a constitution that rejected the earlier Westminster parliamentary model.

  Action taken

  The parliamentary system was replaced with an American-style presidential structure, and the former Parliament was succeeded by the National Assembly.

  Aftermath

  Nigeria moved to a bicameral National Assembly operating within a presidential system. The Parliament of Nigeria became a historical institution rather than the country's active federal legislature.

  Source

1. 1Parliament of Nigeriaen.wikipedia.org