NIGERIA CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, 1914-1960

ABSTRACT: This paper examines Nigeria Constitutional development from 1914-1960. It discusses the geographical location of Nigeria. It assesses the concept „constitution‟. The British conquest and amalgamation of Nigeria also came to focus. It examines the provisions of the Nigerian council of 1914, 1922 Clifford‟s Constitution, the activities of Sir Graham Thompson and Sir Donald Cameron. The provisions of Richards Constitution of 1947, Sir Macpherson‟s Constitution of 1951, 1954 Constitution and 1960 Constitution were examined. Finally, it analyses the 1957 and 1958 Constitutional Conferences. The data were sourced from primary and secondary sources. The primary sources include oral interview and archival materials. The secondary sources were books, newspapers, journals, articles, theses, dissertation etc. It was found that the country lies roughly between 30 and 150E Longitude and between 40 and 140N Latitude. It was also found that Nigeria was coined by Flora Shaw to describe the vast land around the River Niger and its basin. It was demonstrated that Nigeria operates a written constitution while Britain the colonial master has unwritten constitution. It also found that Sir Clifford Constitution was remarkable for its elective principle while the 1947 Constitution of Sir Richards included the Northern part of the country in the Central legislative council for the first time. It was also discovered that for the first time, Nigerians were made Ministers in the 1951 Constitution while the 1954 Constitution Introduce the federal system of government in Nigeria.
KEYWORDS: Nigeria, Amalgamation, Constitution, Development, Provisions.