Nigeria Completes First Federal Law Review Since 2004

The Government of Nigeria has completed a comprehensive review of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, marking the first such update since 2004. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi announced that a review committee examined 932 federal enactments and 731 pieces of subsidiary legislation over a two-year period.

The process identified between 268 and 269 laws as obsolete, archaic, or spent, which will be removed from the statute books. Approximately 663 to 664 enactments will be included in the LFN 2025 to align with international best practices and modern technological and institutional changes. President Bola Tinubu will transmit the final report and proposed laws to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.

Committee Chairman Olawale Fapounda noted that the exercise revealed a need for further legislative attention regarding archaic language and outdated statutory fines that no longer reflect current economic realities. Prince Lateef Fagbemi emphasized that the gap of more than twenty years between consolidations should not be repeated, calling for strengthened capacity to track new enactments and amendments.