Political and constitutional objectives

Continued from last week

THE Political and Constitutional objectives of the people’s republic of Nigeria are stated in the following terms:-

1. There should be only one Head of State for the whole of the Federation, who should be styled President, and whose office should be purely ceremonial.
2. The Head of Government in the Federation or in a constituent State should be directly elected by the registered electors in the Federation or State respectively. In the Federation, he should be styled Vice-President or Prime Minister, and in the State, Governor or Premier.
3. Ministers may be appointed from outside, or from among the Members of Parliament.
4. The Civil Service should be divided into classes – such as Professional, Scientific, Technical, Administrative, Executive, and Clerical; and entry into each class, other than the Professional, Scientific, arid Technical classes, should be by competitive examination. Entry into the Professional, Scientific and Technical classes should be by the possession by the applicant of the prescribed professional, scientific or technical qualification. Promotion within each class should be strictly by merit. All employees of statutory boards, corporations, commissions, or bodies, shall be deemed to be members of the Civil Service or purposes of first appointments and promotions.
5. Posts of all categories in the civil and public services of the Federal Government, at its Headquarters, or in federally owned projects of strategic importance, like Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, Posts and Telecommunications, Defence Industries Corporation, Kainji Dam Authority, Security Printing, Nigerian National Shipping Line, The Railways, etc., wherever situated, will have to be filled by Nigerians, whatever their places of origin, in strict accordance with qualifications and merits, in order to reflect the Federal character of those services. The higher administrative, executive, and professional posts in the services of the Federal Government, other than those of strategic importance, located in any State should, other things being equal, be filled by the natives of the State; but if for the time being, other things are not equal, then until they are equal, such posts should be open to all Nigerians, irrespective of their places of origin.
6. Posts of all categories in the civil and public services of a constituent State, together with all posts below the higher administrative, executive, and professional levels, in the civil and public services of the Federal Government, other than those of strategic importance, located in any State should be filled by natives of the State.
7. The organisation of the country into constituent States should be on a linguistic basis; provided that where in any State there are minority linguistic groups, each of such groups should be constituted into an autonomous district with its own Legislature and Executive, and with certain matters, which should be clearly specified in the Constitution, vested in it, until such a time that each of such linguistic groups can be constituted into a State of its own.
8. The following fundamental human rights should be entrenched in the Constitution.-

(i) Freedom from intentional deprivation of life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty.

(ii) Freedom from torture, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment.

(iii) Freedom from slavery, servitude, or forced labour save

(a) In consequence of a sentence or order of a court; or

(b) In the event of any emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the community.

(iv) Freedom from deprivation of personal liberty, save in the

circumstances set out in Section 21 of the Republican Constitution.

(v) Freedom from interference with privacy, family life, home, and correspondence.

(vi) Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

(vii) Freedom of expression, to hold opinions, and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, including freedom of the Press, save that restrictions may be imposed upon persons holding office under the State, members of the armed forces or of the police force.

(viii) Freedom of assembly and association, and in particular to form or belong to trade unions and other associations for the protection of personal or corporate interests.

(ix) Freedom of movement throughout Nigeria, and of residence in any part thereof.

(x) Freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex, place of origin or religion, of holding a political opinion, or of belonging to a particular community or a national group indigenous to Nigeria.

(xi) Right to education.

(xii) Right to health.

(xiii) Right to just and favourable conditions of work.

(xiv) Right to work and to just remuneration.

(xv) Right to protection against unemployment for people able and willing to work.

(xvi) Right to social security, especially in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, or old age.

(xvii) Right to property, and to protection of property against confiscation or acquisition without compensation.

(xviii) Right of every child, whether born in or out of wedlock, to equitable treatment and social protection.

(xix) Any law or executive action which derogates from or interferes with the right of any citizen to form, register, and operate a country-wide or Region-wide political party shall be null and void and of no effect.

(xx) Any law or executive action which declares the Federation or constituent State a one-party State shall also be null and void and of no effect.

(xxi) No limitations on or derogation from any of the fundamental human rights shall be lawful save

(a) In time of war or emergency, in the interest of defence, public order, or public safety;

(b) In so far as such limitations are imposed solely for the purpose of securing due protection or respect for the rights, interests or freedoms of other persons or groups of persons or the public at large; and

(c) That items xi to xvi shall be subject to other provisions relating to normative social objectives.

(xxii) In the determination of his freedoms and rights, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.

To be continued