In 1954, colonial Nigeria underwent its most decisive constitutional transformation before independence. The constitutional change commonly known as the Lyttelton Constitution restructured the country into a federation, formally dividing powers between a central government and powerful regional governments. It was a legal and institutional reordering that reshaped governance, redefined political authority, and laid the structural foundation upon which Nigeria would negotiate independence six years later.
The constitutional instrument responsible for this transformation was the Nigeria (Constitution) Order in Council 1954. Made on 30 August 1954 and brought into force on 1 October 1954, the Order formally established the Federation of Nigeria and set out the structure of its federal and regional institutions.
The Road to Federalism
The move toward federalism followed mounting political strain under the Macpherson Constitution of 1951. That earlier framework had attempted to balance central and regional interests but generated conflict between nationalist leaders and regional political blocs. Constitutional conferences held in London and Lagos between 1953 and 1954 sought to resolve these tensions.
The outcome was a clearer division of powers and a deliberate shift away from the more centralised arrangement of earlier colonial governance. Federalism became the organising principle through which Nigeria’s diversity would be managed within a single constitutional framework.
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The Legal Establishment of the Federation
The 1954 Order in Council explicitly provided for the establishment of the Federation of Nigeria. Section 3 of the constitutional text formally constituted Nigeria as a federation and defined its component units.
The federation consisted of:
• Northern Region
• Western Region
• Eastern Region
• Southern Cameroons
• Federal Territory of Lagos
Lagos was separated from the Western Region and designated a Federal Territory under direct federal authority. Southern Cameroons occupied a distinctive position. It was a United Nations Trust Territory administered by Britain and constitutionally attached to Nigeria, though its international legal status differed from that of the three main regions.
Nigeria’s federation in 1954 was built around large regional blocs, each with substantial autonomy and established political leadership.
Division of Legislative Powers
A defining feature of federalism is the constitutional allocation of legislative authority. The 1954 Constitution introduced structured legislative lists to operationalise this division.
The Exclusive Legislative List assigned certain subjects solely to the federal legislature. These included defence, external affairs, customs, currency, aviation, railways, posts and telegraphs, and other matters considered national in scope.
The Concurrent Legislative List allowed both federal and regional legislatures to make laws on specified subjects, subject to federal supremacy in cases of conflict.
Matters not assigned to the federal government were effectively reserved to the regions. This arrangement entrenched regional autonomy while preserving federal control over core sovereign functions.
Structure of Regional Governments
Under the 1954 framework, each region possessed its own governmental machinery. This included:
• A Governor representing the Crown
• A Premier as head of government
• A Council of Ministers
• A Regional Legislature
• A Regional Civil Service
This structure ensured that regions were constitutionally recognised units with executive and legislative authority.
At the federal level, a Governor General represented the British Crown and presided over the federal executive. The federal legislature operated within the limits defined by the legislative lists.
Nigeria remained under British sovereignty, but the federal structure provided increasing space for Nigerian political leadership at both regional and federal levels.
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Political Consequences of the 1954 Settlement
The Lyttelton Constitution acknowledged political realities already visible in Nigeria by the early 1950s. Regional identities had become central to party organisation and electoral competition. By granting constitutional authority to the regions, the settlement sought to reduce friction and stabilise governance.
The regions became powerful political centres. Their autonomy allowed them to shape education policy, agricultural development, and internal administration according to regional priorities. At the same time, federal authority over defence and foreign affairs preserved national coherence within the colonial framework.
The structure created in 1954 directly influenced the Independence Constitution of 1960. The essential federal principle, division of powers between centre and regions, remained intact.
Historical Significance
The importance of the 1954 Constitution lies in its formalisation of federalism as Nigeria’s governing model. It was the first constitutional instrument to clearly entrench a federal division of powers within Nigeria.
While independence in 1960 marked the transfer of sovereignty, the structural blueprint of Nigerian federalism was already in place six years earlier. The 1954 Order in Council transformed Nigeria from a centrally administered colony into a federation of constitutionally recognised regions.
Author’s Note
Nigeria’s federal system did not emerge at independence, it was shaped by a constitutional decision in 1954 to organise diversity through shared rule. The Lyttelton Constitution gave institutional form to regional autonomy while preserving a unified political framework. Its legacy endures because it defined how power would be divided, negotiated, and exercised within one nation.
References
Nigeria, Nigeria (Constitution) Order in Council 1954, Statutory Instruments 1954 No. 1146.
Forum of Federations, Nigeria in Need of Good Governance.
Colonial Office Records, Constitutional Conferences on Nigeria, 1953 to 1954.
