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Question

Difficulty: MediumThe Lyttelton Constitution of 1954 and Nigerian Federalism

Which administrative reform was instituted under the 1954 Lyttelton Constitution to align Nigeria's public administration with its newly established federal structure?

  1. The creation of distinct federal and regional civil servicesAnswer
  2. B
    The unification of all regional courts into a single centralized judicial system
  3. C
    The exclusive centralization of tax collection powers within the central legislature
  4. D
    The abolition of regional executive councils in favor of central advisory boards

Answer

The creation of distinct federal and regional civil services
The 1954 Lyttelton Constitution formally established federalism in Nigeria. To complement the constitutional division of legislative powers between the central government and the regions, key public institutions were regionalized, breaking up the hitherto unified colonial public service into distinct Federal and Regional Civil Services.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary constitutional change of 1954
The 1954 Lyttelton Constitution formally established a federal system of government in Nigeria.
Federalism requires the constitutional division of political and administrative authorities between central and regional tiers.
2
Analyze institutional reforms supporting this federal framework
The previously unified colonial public service was decentralized into separate federal and regional civil services.
Autonomous regional governments required their own civil service bureaucracies to implement regional legislative policies independently.

Key Concept

Regionalization of Public Institutions under the 1954 Lyttelton Constitution
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Topics

The Lyttelton Constitution of 1954 and Nigerian Federalism