Nigeria: Nigeria to Drop 269 Obsolete Federal Laws, 663 Others - Fagbemi

What the report says

Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said a federal law review committee has identified 269 federal laws as obsolete, archaic or spent, and another 663 enactments for reconsideration and possible inclusion in a revised legal code. The remarks were made in Abuja during the handover of the reviewed Laws of the Federation of Nigeria covering 2004 to 2025, according to Leadership, distributed by AllAfrica.

Fagbemi said the reviewed material is intended to be transmitted by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly, where lawmakers would consider the proposed changes. He said the broader goal is to make the federal legal framework more coherent, current and easier to use for courts, lawyers, public institutions, investors and the wider public. He also noted that Nigeria’s last official review of its laws was in 2004, leaving a long gap during which new legislation, amendments and institutional changes accumulated.

The minister described the exercise as part of a wider effort to modernize the justice sector and improve governance. He said the committee examined 932 federal enactments and 731 subsidiary legislations, and that 663 enactments, along with relevant subsidiary rules, were identified for inclusion in the updated compilation. He added that the review should create a basis for more regular updates in the future.

Committee chairman Olawale Fapounda said the review took more than two years and involved harmonizing the laws, while also flagging problems such as outdated language, cross-references and numbering inconsistencies. Fagbemi praised the committee’s work and thanked development partners and legal institutions that supported the process.