Nigerian Constitutional Proposals

Proposals for drastic constitutional reform in Nigeria were issued at the beginning of March in the form of a white paper (Cmd. 6599, price 3d.) combining a historical introduction drawn up in the colonial Office and a despatch from Sir Arthur Richards, dated the 6th December. The proposals include a general scheme to bridge the gap between the Native Authorities and the centre by the creation of three new Regional Councils with headquarters at Kaduna, Ibadan and Enugu. The Northern Council is to consist of a House of Chiefs (24) and a House of Assembly (39); there is to be a Western Assembly of 29; and an Eastern Assembly of 27. These regional councils are to have unofficial majorities, mainly selected from existing Native Authorities by themselves. They will have the right to discuss all general legislation, and to pass their own regional budgets, which, subject to approval from the Governor, will be passed by a block vote at the centre. At the same time each Regional Centre will have an Administrative Headquarters, largely decentralised from Lagos, whose departmental heads will there have Deputies. Finally, the Councils will act as electoral colleges to the central Council, which is also to have an unofficial majority (25 to 24), and which will legislate for the whole of Nigeria (with a budget session held in rotation at the four main centres). Other details include a Supreme Court for the whole of Nigeria, and a reorganisation in the Colony of Lagos, whose urban limits are to become a municipality. The scheme is proposed for 9 years with reviews of the system of direct nomination at the end of the 3rd and possibly the 6th. The proposals, which as Sessional Paper No. 4 were passed unanimously in the Nigerian Legislature on 22nd March, have still to be discussed in the British Parliament. They are here considered by a former Governor, and a former Lieut-Governor. It was hoped to have comments from Nigeria itself, where there has been considerable unofficial criticism, but this has had to be held over

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