CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
If you stop any Nigerian mother on the street and you ask her this question: 'What do you want your child to become in the future?'. She will tell you without thinking: 'President of Nigeria.' Yes, every parent in Nigeria want their kids to become Presidents in the future even if the probability is almost zero and they have better chances becoming local government councillors. But no, everyone wants to live in Aso Rock and eat from the proverbial National Cake baked in the Garden of Eden....lol!

Well, for those who have got the guts, heart and money, the Constitution is very clear. You need to fulfill the following requirements before this writer can call you Mr. or Madam President. To be eligible for the Office of the President of Nigeria, these are the provisions (call ya pikins make dem cram am sharply!)

SEE FULL DETAILS HERE: http://.com/the-nigerian-presidency-things-you-must-know/

AGE: You must be at least 40 years old.
CITIZENSHIP: You must be a citizen of Nigeria (before nko?).
POLITICAL AFFILIATION: You have to be a member of a political party or being sponsored by one.
EDUCATION: The Constitution is also very clear on this. A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent. So if una be university drop-out, you still get hope. Seriously speaking. E mean say if una get PhD, you don dey overqualified...lol!

That said, a person shall not be qualified for election to the Office of the President of:

(a) subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, he has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country; or
(b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections; or
(c) under the law in any part of Nigeria, he is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind;
or
(d) he is under a sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offence, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal; or
(e) within a period of less than ten years before the date of the election to the office of President he has been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty or he has been found guilty of the contravention of the Code of Conduct; or
(f) he is an undischarged bankrupt, having been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in Nigeria or any other country; or
(g) being a person employed in the civil or public service of the Federation or of any State, he has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from the employment at least thirty days before the date of the election; or
(h) he is a member of any secret society; or
(i) he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel of Inquiry or a Tribunal set up under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, a Tribunals of Inquiry Law or any other law by the Federal or State Government which indictment has been accepted by the Federal or State Government, respectively; or
(j) he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
-SECTION 137 of the Nigerian Constitution.

THE OATHS

The Seventh Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution makes provisions for the Oaths.

NB: The Oath of Office is not the same as the Oath of Allegiance.

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE:
I, ………. Do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So help me God.

OATH OF OFFICE OF PRESIDENT:
I, ………….. do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will strive to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions; that I will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or indirectly communication or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President; and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So help me God.

SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL POWERS (as laid down in the Constitution)
-ISSUING A PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY


-NOMINATING AND APPOINTING A VICE PRESIDENT


-ACCEPTING OR REJECTING THE NATIONAL CENSUS
Section 157, Subsection 3 states that: All members of the National Population Commission shall cease to be members if the President declares a National Census Report as unreliable and the report is rejected in accordance with section 213 of this Constitution. Again, Section 213 is very lucid on this: 213. (1) Any report of the National Population Commission containing the population census after every census shall be delivered to the President by the Chairman of the commission .

(2) The President shall within a period of thirty days after receipts of the report lay copies of the report before the Council of State, which shall consider the report and advise the President whether to accept it or reject it. (3) Where the Council of State advises the President to accept the report, the President shall accept the same and shall then lay the report on the table of each House of the National Assembly.

(4) Where the President accept such report and has laid it on the table of each House of the National Assembly he shall publish it in the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation for public information.

(5) Where the Council of State advises the president to reject upon the ground-

(a) that the population census contained in the report is inaccurate; or

(b) that the report is perverse,

the President shall reject the report accordingly and no reliance shall be placed upon any such report by any authority or person or for any purpose what so ever.

-HEADING THE NATIONAL DEFENCE COUNCIL
-HEADING THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
-HEADING THE POLICE COUNCIL
-APPROVING CITIZENSHIPS AND CERTIFICATES OF NATURALIZATION
-REGISTERING CITIZENSHIP RENUNCIATION BY NIGERIAN CITIZENS
-GRANTING OR WITHHOLDING ASSENT TO BILLS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
-POWERS OF APPOINTMENT
-HEADING THE COUNCIL OF STATE


PECIAL PRIVILEDGES
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/7-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-GOODLUCK-JONATHAN-GCFR-SASH.jpg[/img]

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/6-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-RIBBON-GCFR.jpg[/img]
-It is the custom and tradition to bestow on sitting or former Presidents with the nation’s highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR). The GCFR is the highest of the four grades of the Order of the Federal Republic (which is one of the two orders of merit of Nigeria, the second one being the Order of the Niger) with others being the Commander of the Order of the Federation (CFR), Officer of the Order of the Federation (OFR) and Member of the Order of the Federation (MFR). The Grand Cordon or Sash of the Grand Commander has four narrow golden stripes,

-When there is the launch of new currencies, the President gets to see the first copies first and he/she also gives approval for such currencies before it is then put into circulation.

-Only the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and some others (Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation, State Governors, Deputy Governors and any other permitted by protocol) are allowed to mount and fly the National Flag on official vehicles.

-By virtue of being the Commander-in-Chief, the Nigerian Presidency can wear the highest ranks in the Nigerian Armed Forces which no military officer has attained in the history of the country. These ranks, all of which correspond to a five-star General are:

-Field Marshal of the Nigerian Army
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/16-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-NIGERIAN-ARMY.jpg[/img]

-Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/18-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-UNIFORM-AIR-FORCE2.jpg[/img]

Admiral of the Fleet of the Nigerian Navy
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/23-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-NAVY-UNIFORM.jpg[/img]

-The portrait of the Commander-in-Chief appears usually right to the Coat of Arms at government establishments like ministries, agencies, state government houses, national assemblies, state assemblies, parastatals and other similar bodies. As for other Principal Officers/Chief Executives are automatically placed on the left of the Coat of Arms. I am sure you must have noticed these portraits ast they are quite ubiquitous. The portraits also appear in some non-governmental institutions. Yeah, check out the banking hall the next time you go make some deposit. You will see GEJ on the wall, smiling at you in his fedora hat.

-Also note that when the President and Commander-in-Chief is addressing the nation, the Coat of Arms is usually encapsulated in the Seal of the Nation and placed just above the Seat of the Commander-in-Chief. It is in offence for these portraits to be absent in government institutions or placed improperly or desecrated.

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT
Assenting to and signing of Bills.
Referring a Bill back to the National Assembly (Legislative Arm of the Government) for the reconsideration of the Bill’s constitutionality.
Summoning the National Assembly, (or the Parliament) to an Extraordinary Sitting to conduct special business.
Making any appointments that the Constitution or legislation requires of the President, apart from those of being the Head of the National Executive.
Appointing Commissions of Inquiry.
Calling a National Referendum in terms of an Act of Parliament.
Receiving and recognizing foreign diplomatic and consular representatives.
Appointing Ambassadors, Plenipotentiaries, and Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.
Pardoning or reprieving offenders and remitting any fines, penalties or forfeitures.
Conferring honours.


AMAZING FACTS
-The President is chosen by a Direct Popular Election and the term length is limited to two of four years each, renewable only ONCE. Here, the Constitution voices out: A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected to such office where, being the only candidate nominated for the election -

(a) he has a majority of YES votes over NO votes cast at the election; and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

(1) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have be been duly elected, where, there being only two candidates for the election -

(a) he has the majority of votes cast at the election; and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

(2) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election-

(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election;

and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

-The Office of the President of Nigeria was created on the 1st of October, 1963 when the nation became a Republic, free from all political ties with Britain.

-The first Nigerian President to die in office was the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua who died on the 5th of May, 2010 at the Presidential Villa after a prolonged illness. He was also the first university-educated President of Nigeria.

-Section 138 states that: The President shall not, during his tenure of office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever. As for Section 140, we have this: 140. (1) A person elected to the office of President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in this Constitution and he has taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and the oath of office prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.

(2) The oaths aforesaid shall be administered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria or the person for the time being appointed to exercise the functions of that office.

-Nigeria has had just SIX presidents (All Nigerian military rulers are referred to as Heads of State and Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces but not as Presidents

For instance, there has been four republics so far:

-NIGERIAN FIRST REPUBLIC (1963-1966): First republican government constitution.

-NIGERIAN SECOND REPUBLIC (1979-1983): 1979 Constitution used.

-NIGERIAN THIRD REPUBLIC (1993): 1989 Constitution used.

-NIGERIAN FOURTH REPUBLIC (1999-date) 1999 Constitution still in use.

Nigeria’s six presidents are:

Rt. Hon. Dr. BENJAMIN NNAMDI AZIKIWE, Owelle of Onitsha (1963-1966). In office in ceremonial capacity, real powers were vested in the Prime Minister. He was also Nigeria’s first and only indigenous Governor-General.
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-PRESIDENT-FIRST-NNAMDI-AZIKIWE.jpg[/img]

Alhaji SHEHU USMAN ALIYU SHAGARI, Turakin Sakkwato (1979-1983). Was Nigeria’s first substantive President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with real powers. He won on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

Chief ERNEST ADEGUNLE OLADEINDE SHONEKAN, Nigeria’s only Interim President (August 26, 1993- November 17, 1993).

Chief OLUSEGUN AREMU MATTHEW OBASANJO, Balogun of Owu (29th May,1999- 29th May, 2007). He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-NAVY-UNIFORM.jpg[/img]

Alhaji UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA, Mutawwalli (Custodian of the Treasury) Katsina, 29th May, 2007 -5th May, 2010. He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/28-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-YARADUA-GEJ.jpg[/img]

Dr. GOODLUCK EBELE AZIKIWE JONATHAN, GCFR, GCON, Assumed office, 6th May, 2010 – till date. He became Nigeria’s first Acting President on the 9th of February, 2010 until he became substantive on the 6th of May, 2010. He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Interesting

Informatively interesting.... Interestingly informative

Wow .... I Think I gotta fulfil dis requirements .......
,LOL!!!

You got my vote already!

donroxy: Wow .... I Think I gotta fulfil dis requirements .......
,LOL!!!

Boring #yawns# after all this u end up being a thief or sumone else puppet.

did i just read this ?

*long hiss*

Some people that complain about what jonathan does are not better than him..jonathan is a man who major strong points is that he has the interest of nigerians as his top most priority

Can sombody please tell us something åbout the office of the state gov b4 some fools will start compairing the office of the state govt to that of the presidency.

Hehehe ,


Abeg click 'like' if you looked at Baba's picture twice .

U just sit down download d Constitution.The Topic should have been "the Constitution of Nigeria as copy n paste by u".Very boring,u should be charged under d copy right law.

tspun: did i just read this ?

You thought it had tonto dike in it

Very informative

-Section 138 states that: The President shall not, during his tenure of office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.

Pls can anybody who understands better explain the above statement because I remember that OBJ was also the Minister of Petroleum at a point in time when he was a president.

As for Section 140, we have this: 140. (1) A person elected to the office of President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in this Constitution and he has taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and the oath of office prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.

So constitutionally, it's not compulsory to make such declarations public?...No wonder uncle Jonah didn't give a damn

This is the most interesting thing I've seen in NL; full of details. I will save this one.

i see field marshal of army
marshal of navy
marshal of airfoce
WETIN COME BE DIS BLACKY/POLICE highest rank wey pass I.G....?

Jeez!!...ah jus wasted my tym n money reading this....

Op u 4 summarize dis tin no b 2 kum hia 2 copy nd paste d constitution 4 us

I'm not sure GEJ is aware of all this powers. Pls tell him.

Please vote for me.


For the president of Nigeria. My vice will be seun.

I wont do anything for these country but to collect my own share of the national cake. Vote for me as the most honest presidential candidate.

Party: Nairaland peoples party [NPP]

Obasanjo, the only man who understands how Nigeria should be governed.

Wow! This is a nice work. With Almighty God on my side, I think this will help me achieve my dream of being that president who will salvage Nigeria from their sufferings amidst abundant resources the country is endowed with.

I will apply

I don overqualify. But I no get money. How I go do?

Mehn I wanna be the President.

blackmann: As a CIVILIAN president of Nigeria, is he supposed to wear the uniforms of the Armed forces?

Civilian Or Military as long as dat title , Commander In Chief of the Armed forces,
he fit wear any uniform nothing go happen.

a picture up there reminds me of someone...
R.I.P Umaru Musa Yaradua.

PHIPEX:

Pls can anybody who understands better explain the above statement because I remember that OBJ was also the Minister of Petroleum at a point in time when he was a president.

Apart from the Minister of Justice (who must also be the Attorney General), the constitution does not specifically recognise any other ministerial office by name. The executive authority of the federation is vested only in the president and any other members of the executive council (ministers) hold office at the whim of the president.

Constitution only requires the president to appoint at least a minister from each state (i.e. minimum of 36 ministers) but he has discretion on what duty to assign to each. He can even assign no portfolio to all the ministers and make himself minister of all ministries. That is why National Assembly always confirm nominees as Minister of Federal Republic not Minister of a particular ministry.

Note that the contraption of substantive Minister and Minister of State in a ministry that we have has no basis in the constitution. No senior or junior minister as far as the constitution is concerned.

PHIPEX: So constitutionally, it's not compulsory to make such declarations public?...No wonder uncle Jonah didn't give a damn

Constitution does not even require it at all. In fact its publication may even be illegal. The law guiding declaration of assets is the law on Bureau of Code of Conduct and it does not require publication in the newspapers. You must file your declaration with the Bureau and it should not be ordinarily accessible unless in special case as provided in the law.

[b][/b][i][/i]Now i see most of our politicians are not professionals nor absolute educated being. This shows the reason for them ruling the country like a jungle. The non-sense constituition should be amended in qualification section. MAN OR WOMAN WITH A PROOFED MBA CERT., B.SC............. PHD IS ONLY QUALIFIED FOR THE POST OF A PRESIDENT. GEJ should be a dropout...... i suggest he should be checjed well.

What is the official salary minus the various allowance?

Great Zik of Africa, the first and only first president of the largest black nation- Nigeria