FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES
AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF
STATE POLICY
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 of this
Constitution.
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(1) The Federal Republic of
Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of
democracy and social justice.
(2) It is hereby, accordingly,
declared that:
(a) sovereignty belongs to
the people of Nigeria from whom government
through this Constitution derives
all its powers and authority;
(b) the security and welfare
of the people shall be the primary purpose of
government: and
(c) the participation by the
people in their government shall be ensured in
accordance with the provisions of
this Constitution.
(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 a 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 State
or from a few ethnic or other sectional
groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.
(4) The composition of the
Government of a State, a local government council, or any of
the agencies of such Government or
council, and the conduct of the affairs of the
Government or council or such agencies
shal be carried out in such manner as to
recognise the diversity of the people
within its area of authority and the need to promote a
sense of belonging and loyalty among all
the people of the Federation.
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(1) The motto of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria shall be Unity and Faith, Peace and
Progress.
(2) Accordingly, national
integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination
on the grounds of place of origin, sex,
religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or
ties shall be prohibited.
(3) For the purpose of promoting
national integration, it shall be the duty of the State
to:
(a) provide adequate
facilities for and encourage free mobility of people,
goods and services throughtout the
Federation.
(b) secure full residence
rights for every citizen in all parts of the
Federation.
(c) encourage inter-marriage
among persons from different places of origin,
or of different religious, ethnic
or linguistic association or ties; and
(d) promote or encourage the
formation of associations that cut across
ethnic, linguistic, religious and
or other sectional barriers.
(4) The State shall foster a
feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various
people of the Federation, to the end
that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional
layalties.
(5) The State shall abolish all
corrupt practices and abuse of power.
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(1) The State shall, within the
context of the ideals and objectives for which provisions
are made in this Constitution.
(a) harness the resources of
the nation and promote national prosperity
and an efficient, a dynamic and
self-reliant economy;
(b) control the national
economy in such manner as to secure the
maximum welfare, freedom and
happiness of every citizen on the basis of
social justice and equality of
status and opportunity;
(c) without prejudice to its
right to operate or participate in areas of the
economy, other than the major
sectors of the economy, manage and operate
the major sectors of the economy;
(d) without prejudice to the
right of any person to participate in areas of the
economy within the major sector of
the economy, protect the right of every
citizen to engange in any economic
actitivies outside the major sectors of
the economy.
(2) The State shall direct its
policy towards ensuring:
(a) the promotion of a
planned and balanced economic development;
(b) that the material
resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed
as best as possible to serve the
common good;
(c) that the economic system
is not operated in such a manner as to
permit the concentration of wealth
or the means of production and exchange
in the hands of few individuals or
of a group; and
(d) that suitable and
adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food,
reasonable national minimum living
wage, old age care and pensions, and
unemployment, sick benefits and
welfare of the disabled are provided for all
citizens.
(3) A body shall be set up by an
Act of the National Assembly which shall have power;
(a) to review, from time to
time, the ownership and control of business
enterprises operating in Nigeria
and make recommendations to the President
on same; and
(b) to administer any law for
the regulation of the ownership and control of
such enterprises.
(4) For the purposes of subsection
(1) of this section -
(a) the reference to the
"major sectors of the economy" shall be construed
as a reference to such economic
activities as may, from time to time, be
declared by a resolution of each
House of the National Assembly to be
managed and operated exclusively by
the Government of the Federation, and
until a resolution to the contrary
is made by the National Assembly,
economic activities being operated
exclusively by the Government of the
Federation on the date immediately
proceding the day when this section
comes into force, whether directly
or through the agencies of a statutory or
other corporation or company, shall
be deemed to be major sectors of the
economy;
(b) "economic activities"
includes activities directly concerned with the
production, distribution and
exchange of weather or of goods and sercices;
and
(c) "participate" includes
the rendering of services and supplying of goods.
17.
(1) The State social order is
founded on ideals of Freedom, Equality and Justice.
(2) In futherance of the social
order-
(a) every citizen shall have
equality of rights, obligations and opportunities
before the law;
(b) the sanctity of the human
person shall be recognized and human
dignity shall be maintained and
enhanced;
(c) governmental actions
shall be humane;
(d) exploitation of human or
natural resources in any form whatesoever for
reasons, other than the good of the
community, shall be prevented; and
(e) the independence,
impartiality and intergrity of courts of law, and easy
accessibility thereto shall be
secured and maintained.
(3) The State shall direct its
policy towards ensuring that-
(a) all citizens, without
discrimination on any group whatsoever, have the
opportunity for securing adequate
means of livelihood as well as adequate
opportunity to secure suitable
employement;
(b) conditions of work are
just and humane, and that there are adequate
facilities for leisure and for
social, religious and cultural life;
(c) the health, safety and
welfare of all persons in employment are
safeguarded and not endangered or
abused;
(d) there are adequate
medical and health facilities for all persons:
(e) there is equal pay for
equal work without discrimination on account of
sex, or on any other ground
whatsoever;
(f) children, young persons
and the age are protected against any
exploitation whatsoever, and
against moral and material neglect;
(g) provision is made for
public assistance in deserving cases or other
conditions of need; and
(h) the evolution and
promotion of family life is encouraged.
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(1) Government shall direct its
policy towards ensuring that there are equal and
adequate educational opportunities at
all levels.
(2) Government shall promote
science and technology
(3) Goverment shall strive to
eradicate illiteracy; and to this end Government shall as
and when practiable provide
(a) free, compulsory and
universal primary education;
(b) free secondary education;
(c) free university
education; and
(d) free adult literacy
programme.
19. The foreign policy objectives shall
be -
(a) promotion and protection
of the national interest;
(b) promotion of African
integration and support for African unity;
(c) promotion of
international co-operation for the consolidation of universal
peace and mutual respect among all
nations and elimination of
discrimination in all its
manifestations;
(d) respect for international
law and treaty obligations as well as the
seeking of settlement of
international disputes by negotiation, mediation,
conciliation, arbitration and
adjudication; and
(e) promotion of a just world
economic order.
20. The State shall protect and improve
the environment and safeguard the water, air and land, forest
and wild life of Nigeria.
21. The State shall -
(a) protect, preserve and
promote the Nigerian cultures which enhance
human dignity and are consistent
with the fundamental objectives as
provided in this Chapter; and
(b) encourage development of
technological and scientific studies which
enhance cultural values.
22. The press, radio, television and
other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to
uphold the fundamental objectives contained
in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and
accountability of the Government to the
people.
23 The national ethics shall be
Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social, Justice, Religious
Tolerance, Self-reliance and Patriotism.
24. It shall be the duty of every
citizen to -
(a) abide by this
Constitution, respect its ideals and its insitutitions, the
National Flag, the National Anthem,
the National Pledge, and legitimate
authorities;
(b) help to enhance the
power, prestige and good name of Nigeria, defend
Nigeria and render such national
service as may be required;
(c) respect the dignity of
other citizens and the rights and legitimate
interests of others and live in
unity and harmony and in the spirit of common
brotherhood;
(d) make positive and useful
contribution to the advancement, progress
and well-being of the community
where he resides;
(e) render assistance to
appropriate and lawful agencies in the
maintenance of law and order; and
(f) declare his income
honestly to appropriate and lawful agencies and pay
his tax promptly.
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