Question

Difficulty: MediumCitizenship: Acquisition, Renunciation, and Deprivation

A foreign woman born outside Nigeria to foreign parents gets legally married to a Nigerian citizen and seeks to acquire Nigerian citizenship. Under Section 26 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which constitutional channel of acquisition applies to her situation?

  1. Citizenship by registration, subject to presidential approval and proof of good characterAnswer
  2. B
    Citizenship by naturalization, requiring a mandatory fifteen-year continuous period of residence in Nigeria
  3. C
    Citizenship by birth, because marital union automatically confers indigenous status on foreign spouses
  4. D
    Citizenship by conferment, granted exclusively through a resolution passed by the National Assembly

Answer

Citizenship by registration, subject to presidential approval and proof of good character
Under Section 26 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, citizenship by registration is available to any woman who is or has been married to a citizen of Nigeria, provided she is of good character and subscribes to the Oath of Allegiance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the applicant's status and constitutional channel
The applicant is a foreign woman married to a male citizen of Nigeria.
Section 26(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution specifically provides for foreign women married to Nigerian citizens.
2
Distinguish registration from naturalization
Registration does not require the 15-year residency threshold mandated for naturalization under Section 27.
Marriage establishes eligibility for registration rather than the longer naturalization process.

Key Concept

Citizenship by Registration under Section 26 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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