CHAPTER II – FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY

Table of Contents

Section 13

It shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government and of all authorities and persons, exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of this Chapter.

(This means that all the arms of Government; Executive, Legislative and Judicial, and persons must observe and apply the provisions of this chapter)

Section 14 (1)

The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice.

(This means that Nigeria is a country based on democracy and social justice)

Section 14 (2) (a)

It is hereby, accordingly, declared that –

sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;

(This means that the power belongs to the people from whom the government gets all its powers)

Section 14 (2) (b)

the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose and responsibility of government;

(This means that the security and welfare of the people is the main purpose and responsibility of the Government)

Section 14 (2) (c)

the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.

(This means that the people’s participation in the Government is ensured by the Constitution)

Section 14 (3)

The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.

(This means that the Government shall be run in a way to include all the various states and tribes in Nigeria in all the agencies of the Government to command loyalty and unity and ensure that no tribe dominates any agency of Government)

Section 14 (4)

The composition of the Government of a State, a Local Government, or any of the agencies of such Governments, and the conduct of the affairs of the Governments or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognize the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the peoples of the Federation.

(This means that the composition of the Government, all the States and Local Governments shall include all the tribes and peoples of that area to give a sense of belonging to the people of that nation)

Section 16 of the 1999 Constitution: State Policy