Introduction to History 302
The British occupation of Nigeria started in 1820 and was subsequently sustained by the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorate by Lord Lugard in 1914.
This constitution was preceded by the establishment of the Nigerian Council by Lord Lugard in 1916 and thus served as the bedrock for other constitutions in Nigeria even after Independence.
Interestingly, Nigeria had four constitutions before the Independence Constitution of 1960. These are Clifford Constitution 1922, Richard Constitution 1945, Macpherson Constitution 1951, and Littleton constitution 1954. This work will be faulty if failed to explain in its simplest form the term “constitution”.
According to Dele Odanye, constitution may be defined as the whole body of fundamental laws, customs, conventions, principles, rules, and regulations according to which a particular government of a country or an organization operates.
This should leave us with some tips on constitution which will aid a better understanding of this discourse.
The meliorated point to start would be from the Clifford Constitution of 1922 and others would follow in that order.
Next Article: The Clifford Constitution of 1922 (HIS 302)
