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Constitutional Guarantee of Property Rights in Nigeria
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2009
Extract
Since 19592 a bill of rights has always been written into successive Nigerian Constitutions. When the Military took over the government of the country in 1966, it suspended3 or amended a number of the provisions of the governing 1963 Constitution. Quite remarkably Chapter 3 of that Constitution embodying the bill of rights is among the portions that have not been altered or suspended. It is therefore significant that even under the military regime the fundamental rights of the individual are protected by the Constitution. It must however be observed that, before the military intervention, the bill of rights was entrenched in the Constitution since the rights and the procedure for their enforcement could only be altered through a rather complicated process in which both the central and regional legislatures had to participate.4 Since the army take-over no part of the Constitution is entrenched. This is because section 4 of the 1963 Constitution providing for a stiff and complicated amending procedure of some of its provisions has been suspended5 and the Supreme Military Council is now competent to enact any laws on any topic by decree6 and no decree is required to be promulgated in any special form or through any special procedure. A decree is valid once it is signed by the Head of the Federal Military Government.7
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- Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1974
References
2 See Ezejiofor, G., Protection of human rights under the law, 1964, London, 177–182.Google Scholar
3 See The Constitution (Suspension and Modification) Decree, No. 1 of 1966.
4 S. 4 of the 1963 Constitution.
5 Decree No. 1 of 1966, s. 1 (1) and Schedule 1.
6 Ibid., s. 3 (1).
7 Ibid., s. 5 (1).
8 This provision is qualified by subsections (2) and (3). For subsection (2) see below. Subsection (3) (a)-(e) provides that nothing in the section shall be construed as affecting any general law for the imposition or enforcement of any tax, rate or due, penalties or forfeitures for breach of the law, relating to leases, tenancies, mortgages, charges, bills of sale or other rights or obligations arising out of contracts, the vesting and administration of. property, the execution of judgments or orders of courts, providing for the taking of possession of property that is in a dangerous state or is injurious to health, enemy property, trusts and trustees, limitation of actions, property vested in bodies corporate, the temporary taking of possession of property for the purpose of examination, investigation or inquiry or providing for the carrying out of work on land for the purpose of soil conservation.
page 128 note 1 Suit No. Z/19/1964 (unreported).
page 128 note 2 See now: Land Tenure (Rights of Occupancy) Regulations, N.N.L.N. No. 136 of 1962 and No. 21 of 1963, in Vol. IV of the Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
page 128 note 3 (1968) N.M.L.R. 183.
page 128 note 4 Cap. 95.
page 128 note 5 Omar Lababedi & Ors v. Chairman L.E.D.B., Appeal No. 25 of 1961.
page 129 note 1 No. 1 of 1964.
page 130 note 1 Suit No. PHC/56/72 (unreported).
page 130 note 2 No. 11 of 1966.
page 130 note 3 Eastern Nigeria Notice No. 1302 of 1966.
page 130 note 4 Eastern Nigeria Notice No. 1304 of 1966.
page 130 note 5 See Decree No. 39 of 1970.
page 131 note 1 Chief Humphrey Omerogbe Osagie v. The Military Governor, Mid-Western State of Nigeria, (1973) S.C. 77.
page 132 note 1 Suit No. M/2/1966 (unreported).
page 132 note 2 Cap. 123 of the Laws of Western Nigeria, 1959 Revision.
page 133 note 1 Lababedi v. Chairman L.E.D.B. (1962) 1 All N.L.R. 691; West Bengal Settlement Kanungoe Co-operative Credit Society v. Bella Banerjee & ors. A.I.R. (1951) Case 111.
page 133 note 2 No. 2 of 1968.
page 134 note 1 (1942) 317 U.S. 369.
page 134 note 2 Cf. West Bengal v. Banerjee, 17 Supreme Court Journal.
page 135 note 1 (1973) 4 S.C. 77.
page 135 note 2 Cap. 105 of the Laws, 1959 Revision.
page 135 note 3 Cap. 64 of the Laws, 1959 Revision.
page 135 note 4 The observation of Bowen, L.J. in The Queen v. London County Council [1893] 2 Q.B. 454 at p. 462, was cited in support.
page 136 note 1 (1970) 2 All N.L.R. 133.
page 136 note 2 Cap. 138, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963 Revision.
page 136 note 3 Ibid., s. 8 (1).
page 136 note 4 See, e.g., s. 125 (1) (d) of the Federal Constitution with respect to the High Court of Lagos.
page 137 note 1 See also Elias, T.O., Nigeria: The development of its laws and constitution, 1967, London, 159.Google Scholar
page 137 note 2 (1963) 1 All N.L.R. 299.
page 137 note 3 De Winton, Constitutional problems of federation in Nigeria, 1960, 58 and West Bengal v. Subodh, 1954 A.I.R.
page 137 note 4 See Ezejiofor, , (1967) Nig, L.J. and Gledhill, , Fundamental rights in India, 1956, London, 128.Google Scholar
page 137 note 5 S. 32 provides that any person who alleges that any of the guaranteed rights has been contravened in relation to him may apply to the High Court for redress. The High Court shall have original jurisdiction to hear and determine any such application made to it and make such orders, issue such writs and give such directions as it may consider appropriate for the purpose of enforcing or securing, the enforcement of any rights to which the person who makes the application may be entitled.
page 138 note 1 Cf. , Elias, Nigeria: the development of its laws and constitution, 1967, London, 160.Google Scholar
page 138 note 2 See J. S. Read, in Verfassung Und Recht In Ubersee, 1. Quarterly 1973, 46.
page 138 note 3 Preamble to the 1963 Constitution.
page 140 note 1 Cap. 167 of 1958 Laws of the Federation.
page 140 note 2 See, e.g., The Hon. Commissioner for Lands v. Matthims Aneke 3 E.C.S.L.R. 207.
page 140 note 3 See Esi v. The Warri Divisional Town Planning Authority Suit No. M/2/1966 (unreported); Chairman L.E.D.B. v. Olopinkwu (1958) L.L.P. 25.
page 140 note 4 S. 13(1).
page 141 note 1 Cap. 59, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
page 141 note 2 See ss. 48 and 49.
page 141 note 3 See McDowell, (1965) 1 Nig. L.J. 202.
page 141 note 4 S. 20 (1).
page 141 note 5 S. 20 (2).
page 141 note 6 Suit No. Z/19/1964 (unreported).
page 141 note 7 See p. 128 above. See also Nzelu v. A.C.B. Ltd. (1974) 5 S.C. 93.
page 141 note 8 S. 34.
page 141 note 9 S. 35.
page 141 note 10 S. 43.
page 142 note 1 See Umeh, J.A., Compulsory acquisition of land and compensation in Nigeria, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 1973, pp. 85–99.Google Scholar
page 142 note 2 Cap. 45.
page 142 note 3 See also State Lands Laws (W. Nigeria) cap. 29, s. 11; (E. Nigeria) cap. 122, s. 10.
page 142 note 4 See Rotimi Williams, Constitutional problems of federalism in Nigeria, p. 66.
page 143 note 1 Cf. Ewelukwa, The Nigerian military rule. 24.
page 143 note 2 Decree No. 1, 1966, s. 3 (1).
page 143 note 3 Decree No. 1, 1966, s. 6. The Federal Military Government (Supremacy and Enforcement of Powers) Decree, 1970, and see the Lakanmi case, Suit No. S.C. 58/69 (1971), 5 Nigeria Lawyer's Quarterly 133.
page 143 note 4 See s. 29 of the 1963 Constitution.
page 143 note 5 No. 4 of 1966.
page 143 note 6 No. 33 of 1966.
page 143 note 7 No. 44 of 1966.
page 143 note 8 No. 24 of 1967.
page 143 note 9 No. 2 of 1967.
page 143 note 10 No. 31 of 1967.
page 143 note 11 No. 36 of 1969.
page 143 note 12 No. 47 of 1970.
page 143 note 13 No. 41 of 1970.
page 143 note 14 No. 48 of 1971.
page 143 note 15 No. 39 of 1967.
page 143 note 16 No. 45 of 1968.
page 143 note 17 No. 37 of 1968.
page 143 note 18 No. 43 of 1968.
page 143 note 19 No. 43 of 1969.
page 143 note 20 No. 57 of 1970.
page 143 note 21 No. 58 of 1970.
page 144 note 1 Suit No. S.C. 58/69 (1971), 5 Nig. L.Q. 133. For a learned comment on the case see Abiola Ojo, (1970) Nig. J. Contemp. Law, 198.
page 144 note 2 No. 28 of 1970.
page 144 note 3 Adejumo v. Military Governor of Lagos State (1972) 3 S.C. 45.
page 144 note 4 See also Adamolekum v. The Council of the University of Ibadan (1968) N.M.L.R. 253.
page 144 note 5 No. 2 of 1971 as modified by Public Education (Amendment) Edict, No. 16 of 1973; Public Education (Amendment No. 2) Edict, No. 25 of 1973; and Public Education (Amendment No. 3) Edict, No. 6 of 1974.
page 144 note 6 S. 3.
page 144 note 7 S. 4 (1).
page 144 note 8 S. 3A.
page 144 note 9 S. 4 (1).
page 145 note 1 S. 3E (1).
page 145 note 2 S. 3E (2) and s. 4 (4).
page 145 note 3 See E.C.S.L.N. No. 13 of 1973.
page 145 note 4 No. 8 of 1969.
page 145 note 5 See also the South Eastern State's Deserted Property (Control and Management) Edict, No. 10 of 1970.
page 146 note 1 S. 2.
page 146 note 2 S. 12 (2).
page 146 note 3 S. 13.
page 146 note 4 S. 12 (7).
page 146 note 5 S. 15.
page 146 note 6 S. 18 and Abandoned Property (Control and Management) (Amendment) Edict, No. 7 of 1972.
page 147 note 1 Similar edicts whose genuine object was to protect and manage “abandoned” properties during the absence of the owners were promulgated in other parts of the country. The properties were handed back to the owners as soon as the war ended.
page 147 note 2 No. 15 of 1972.
page 147 note 3 S. 3.
page 147 note 4 No. 5 of 1971.
page 147 note 5 See Peenok Investments Ltd. v. Hotel Presidential Ltd. Suit No. E/99/72 (Enugu High Court) (unreported); Pamco Nigeria Ltd. v. Cham George 3 E.C.S.L.R. 295; Cham George v. Oyetade, Suit No. PHC/69/71 (Port Harcourt High Court) (unreported); Michelin (Nig.) Ltd. v. Hebron George PHC/129/73 (P.H. High Court) (unreported); African Pioner Co. Ltd. v. The Attorney-General (1974) 1 N.M.L.R. 28; Nnukam v. Aly Suit No. PHC/5A/73 (Port Harcourt High Court) (unreported).
page 148 note 1 See s. 29 of the 1963 Constitution.
page 148 note 2 The Head of the Federal Military Government had promised that the military will hand over power to civilians in 1979.