The Federal Government has identified 269 federal laws as obsolete, spent, or repealed following a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s legal framework, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), announced on Thursday in Abuja.
Presenting the final report of the Committee on the Review, Update and Consolidation of the Laws of the Federation, Fagbemi revealed that the committee examined 932 federal enactments and 731 subsidiary legislations. Of the laws reviewed, 663 enactments and their related subsidiary legislations were approved for inclusion in the proposed Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2025, while 269 were recommended for exclusion.
According to the minister, the exercise marks a major step towards creating a modern, accessible, and consolidated body of federal laws for Nigeria.
Fagbemi noted that the last official consolidation of the Laws of the Federation was carried out in 2004, making the current review necessary after more than two decades of legislative, constitutional, institutional, and technological changes.
He explained that the committee, inaugurated on October 24, 2024, was tasked with reviewing federal laws, removing outdated provisions, resolving inconsistencies, and producing an authoritative legal reference for the country.
The Attorney General praised the committee, led by Olawale Fapohunda (SAN), for undertaking extensive legal research, legislative analysis, technical coordination, and editorial work. He added that the team operated through 14 thematic working groups and collaborated with several institutions and development partners, including the ROLAC Programme, Law Commission of England and Wales, LexisNexis South Africa, Lagos State Law Reform Commission, and Law Pavilion.
Fagbemi disclosed that the committee’s report will be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu before being transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative consideration and approval.
He also cautioned against another prolonged gap in updating Nigeria’s laws, stressing the need for a permanent mechanism to ensure continuous review and revision of federal legislation.
Earlier, Fapohunda said the committee’s work extended beyond compiling laws, focusing also on eliminating obsolete statutes, resolving conflicting provisions, and aligning legislation with current socio-economic and technological realities.
He highlighted several areas requiring further legislative attention, including outdated statutory language, cumbersome cross-references, inconsistencies in law sequencing, and fines that no longer reflect present-day economic realities, with some penalties still set as low as ₦10 or ₦50.
The committee recommended the creation of a centralised national repository for federal legislation and the institutionalisation of a continuous law revision process to prevent future delays in consolidating Nigeria’s legal framework.
Fapohunda formally presented the committee’s final report and draft copies of the 20-volume Laws of the Federation 2025 to the Attorney General for further executive action.
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