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  • Who Are the Top Ten Citizens in Nigeria?

    Everything has a hierarchy or ranking, from your workplace to the church. And even Nigeria’s citizenship is not left out.

    RECOMMENDED: What Are The Types of Citizenship in Nigeria?

    According to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, the Federal Government of Nigeria comprises three distinct branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

    The executive is the President, Governors, and Commissioners; the legislature is lawmakers at the national and state levels; and the judiciary is the court. 

    The people selected to fill these seats are considered Nigeria’s top citizens.

    Here are the five highest-ranking Nigerian citizens: 

    The President

    The President serves as the first citizen in every country, and Nigeria isn’t left out. 

    He also occupies the highest position, The Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR), as well as the Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The president’s family is regarded as the first in the country.

    Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the current President of Nigeria.

    The Vice President 

    The Vice President is the second citizen of Nigeria. He serves as the ‘substitute president’ in case the president-elect is incapacitated or, in a worst-case scenario, dead.

    Think of it like football players substituting in a match.

    The Vice President’s title is Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Note that the same rules and regulations apply at the state level.

    Kashim Shettima currently serves in this position.

    Senate President 

    The Senate President is number three in the hierarchy of Nigerian citizens. He is the head of the National Assembly, and he presides over the Senate arm of government. 

    The 1999 Constitution permits the Senate President to take over if the Vice President is incapacitated or deceased. If, for some reason, both the President and Vice-president are incapable of leading, the Senate President will step in temporarily.

    The Senate has 109 members, of whom 108 are elected for four-year terms in 36 three-seat constituencies, which correspond to the country’s 36 states. One member is selected in the single-seat constituency of the federal capital.

    Godswill Akpabio is the current Senate president.

    Speaker of the House of Representatives

    The speaker of the House of Representatives is the number four citizen in Nigeria. The speaker of the house presides over the lower chambers of the legislative arm of government, and his title is Office of the Order of the Niger (OON).

    The House of Representatives (HoR) has 360 members elected for four years in single-seat constituencies. The HoR is the larger of the two chambers that make up the National Assembly but is the lower-ranking of both.

    Tajudeen Abbas is the current speaker of the House.

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria 

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) is the number five citizen in Nigeria. He presides over the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council. 

    Interestingly, the Chief Justice can never be removed from power except by death, retirement or impeachment by the Senate.

    Deputy Senate President of Nigeria 

    The Deputy Senate President is the sixth most important citizen in Nigeria. He is also the second most important person in the Nigerian Senate. He serves in the absence of the Senate President. The Deputy Senate President is usually chosen through an indirect vote.

    Jibrin Barau is the current Deputy Senate President of Nigeria.

    Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives

    Benjamin Kalu is the Deputy Speaker and the second most important personality in the House of Representatives. 

    He serves as the Speaker of the House of Representatives when absent. He is chosen by the majority of the House in an indirect election.

    Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Nigeria 

    Two hats are worn in this position: the minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Nigeria. He provides legal advice to the federal government, defends Nigeria in court, and defends Nigerian citizens from arbitrary executive actions.

    The current Attorney-General of Nigeria and Minister of Justice is Abubakar Malami. He will remain in office until July 28, when Tinubu will announce his cabinet.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation

    He is in charge of directing the agreement and execution of federal policy, as well as coordinating federal ministries, departments, and agencies. George Akume currently holds the position.

    Head of the Civil Service of Nigeria 

    This is the person who manages the workforce of the Federal Civil Service to guarantee their commitment, focus, and discipline in assisting the Federal Government in carrying out policies and programmes. 

    Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan is the current Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

    National Security Adviser 

    As the name suggests, this person has a direct line of communication with the President, advising him on all matters relating to national security. Examples of these matters include advising the president on solutions regarding the intelligence activities of terrorist networks. 

    The National Security Adviser serves as a national representative on such issues in the Federal Executive Council, National Security Council, and Presidency.

    Nuhu Ribadu currently holds the position.

    You can be part of Zikoko Citizen’s cool community that talks about politics, governance and policies. Join the tribe here.

    Chiamaka Dike

    , ,
  • What Are the Types of Citizenship in Nigeria?

    Nigeria might not be “giving” now, but that should change soon for several reasons. There’s the general election scheduled just eight days from now. We hope to finally see the back of Buhari and, more importantly, get a new administration that will bring in a breath of fresh air. 

    There’s also the projection that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populous country. Among the top ten, we have the fastest-growing population rate. So brace yourself. Being a Nigerian citizen might be the hot cake in a few years.

    To prepare you ahead of any last-minute rush — the same way we warned you ahead of the late rush to turn in your old naira notes — we’ve decided to explain the types of citizenship in Nigeria. There are three ways to acquire Nigerian citizenship.

    Citizenship by birth

    The document that defines citizenship in Nigeria is the 1999 Constitution, as amended. According to the Constitution, you can become a citizen of Nigeria by birth. But even this has special conditions. It’s simply not enough to be born here.

    If that were the case, Hugo Weaving, who famously played the role of Agent Smith in The Matrix Trilogy, would be a Nigerian citizen because he was born at the University College Hospital in Ibadan.

    Here’s what section 25 of the Constitution says. The following persons are citizens of Nigeria by birth namely;

    (a) every person born in Nigeria before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria:

    Provided that a person shall not become a citizen of Nigeria by this section if neither of his parents nor any of his grandparents was born in Nigeria;

    (b) every person born in Nigeria after the date of independence either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents is a citizen of Nigeria; and

    (c) every person born outside Nigeria or either of whose parents are a citizen of Nigeria.

    (2) In this section, “the date of independence” means the 1st day of October 1960.

    So sorry, Agent Smith, but are your parents or grandparents indigenous to Nigeria? If not, don’t quit yet. Let’s try another way.

    [newsletter type=”gov”]

    Citizenship by registration

    The other way of becoming a Nigerian citizen is citizenship by registration. This is covered in section 26 of the Nigerian Constitution. Here’s what it says:

    (1) Subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, a person to whom the provisions of this section apply may be registered as a citizen of Nigeria if the President is satisfied that;

    (a) he is a person of good character;

    (b) he has shown a clear intention of his desire to live in Nigeria; and

    (c) he has taken the Oath of Allegiance prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.

    (2) the provisions of this section shall apply to;

    (a) any woman who is or has been married to a citizen of Nigeria; or

    (b) every person of full age and capacity born outside Nigeria or whose grandparents are a citizen of Nigeria. 

    This section summarises that citizenship by registration is available to a woman married to a Nigerian citizen.

    It’s also open to a person born outside Nigeria with any of their grandparents being Nigerian citizens. It looks like this option isn’t for you, Agent Smith. Let’s try the third one.

    Citizenship by naturalisation

    Citizenship by naturalisation is covered in section 27 of the Nigerian Constitution with the condition that you meet requirements in section 28. Here are the requirements to become a citizen by naturalisation.

    1. You must be of full age and capacity. (18 and above)
    2. You should have good character. (Agent Smith was a bad guy, but only in the movie) A minimum of two people must testify to this, and one must be a religious minister. 
    3. You must clearly desire to reside in Nigeria and meet the residential requirements needed to become a citizen.
    4. You should be capable of contributing to the well-being of Nigeria and its citizens­ – for example, by being a regular taxpayer.
    5. The governor of the Nigerian state you want to apply to for citizenship must confirm that the community you’ll reside in welcomes you with open arms.
    6. It would help if you took an Oath of Allegiance prescribed in Schedule 7 of the Constitution.
    7. You must have lived in Nigeria continuously for 15 years before the application date. If you’ve constantly lived for 12 months in Nigeria, then over the next 20 years lived in Nigeria intermittently for periods totalling not less than 15 years, you can also apply if you meet the other requirements.

    Before we forget, if you want to acquire Nigerian citizenship by registration or by naturalisation, you must first renounce your citizenship of any other country you may have previously, unless the citizenship was acquired by birth. 

    There you go. Now you know the Nigerian citizenship types and how to acquire them. Please don’t say we didn’t do anything for you, Agent Smith. You’re welcome.

    Stephen Agwaibor