Meaning of section 3 (3) of 1999 constitution

What is the Meaning of section 3 subsection three of 1999 constitution. In this article I will like to explain the Meaning of section 3 (3) of 1999 constitution

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Meaning of section 3 (3) of 1999 constitution

The section 3 subsection 3 of 1999 state that

The headquarters of the Government of each State shall be known as the Capital City of that State as shown in the third column of the said Part I of the First Schedule opposite the State named in the first column thereof

Section 3(1) Lists the names of all the Nigerian states (Abia, Adamawa, etc.)

Section 3(2) Shows the area (size) of each state.

This Section 3 (3) Specifies the capital city for each state.

This section is saying that Each State…

1 shall be known as the Capital City of that State: The headquarters (main government location) of each state will be called its capital city.

2 as shown in the subsection 3 of the said section 3 (1). This refers to the capital city listed next to each state name in section 3.

3 opposite the State named in the first column thereof: This clarifies that the capital city mentioned in column 3 corresponds to the state name listed right across from it in section 1.

In other words, the Constitution is saying that a separate document (the First Schedule) has a table that tells you the capital city of each state.

State Capital Cities:

1 For each of the 36 states in Nigeria, there is an officially designated capital city.

2 These capital cities serve as the administrative and governmental headquarters for their respective states.

3 Each state in Nigeria has a capital city, which is the headquarters of the state government

Location in the First Schedule:

1 The names of these state capital cities are specified in the third column of the “First Schedule” of the Nigerian constitution.

2 This schedule lists the 36 states in the first column, and then provides the corresponding capital city for each state in the third column.

Authoritative Designation:

1 The statement affirms that the capital city of each state, as listed in the First Schedule, is the officially recognized and legal headquarters of the state government.

2 This means the capital cities have a formal, constitutional status within Nigeria’s administrative structure.

This section is saying that for each of the 36 states in Nigeria, there is an official capital city that serves as the administrative center and seat of government for that particular state. These capital city names are definitively listed in a specific part of the Nigerian constitution, giving them formal legal recognition and status.

The capital cities are the central hubs where the state governments, including the governor’s office and state legislature, are located and operate from. This helps establish a clear administrative structure and delineation of authority between the federal government and the individual state governments within Nigeria’s federal system.

This clause is simply saying that the capital city of each state is the one listed in the third column, opposite the state’s name in the first section

For example, if you look at the Schedule, you’ll see that:

Abia State is listed in the first section and Its area or boundaries are listed in the second column and Umuahia is listed as its capital city in the third section

So, Umuahia is the headquarters of the government of Abia State. Same for all other states!