The Richards Constitution of 1946 is another link in the chain of colonial or pre-independence constitutions in Nigeria. After Hugh Clifford became Governor of Nigeria, three successive governors held the office (Graeme Thompson, Donald Cameron and Bernard Bourdillon) before another constitution was adopted, namely the Richards Constitution of 1946. Governor Bernard Bourdilloun took office in 1935 at. In 1939, during his term in office, he converted the Northern and Southern Protectorates into provinces and then divided the Southern Province into the Eastern and Western Provinces, leaving the Northern Province intact. When Governor Bourdilloun left office in 1943, he had almost completed the new constitution he had prepared supporting regionalism. Before handing over power to his successor, he made numerous improvements to the previous constitution. Arthur Richards subsequently took office and adopted his constitution, which is credited with introducing regionalism to Nigeria. The Richards Constitution of 1946 replaced the Clifford Constitution of 1922, which had been heavily criticized for introducing sectionalism into the Nigerian government. The Richards Constitution of 1946 was specifically designed to promote the unity of Nigeria and provide greater scope for greater participation of Nigerians in the administration of their country.
Features of the 1946 Richards Constitution.
Bicameral legislature The Richards Constitution gave the Northern Region a bicameral legislature: a regional assembly and a regional house of chiefs. The constitution retains the electoral principle, although with limited voting rights. The Richards Constitution of 1946 introduces regionalism in Nigeria: Eastern, Western and Northern regions. Dual membership: Members of the central Legislative Council were also members of the regional councils. The Nigerian Legislative Council consisted of 44 members: 16 official and 28 unofficial. Regional Chamber of Assembly founded. Each region received massive subsidies from government revenue. The Regional House of Assembly is given limited powers.
Advantages of the Richards Constitution of 1946.
It gave rise to regionalism which served as the basis for federalism in Nigeria. Unlike Clifford’s 1922 Constitution, the public was consulted (though not actually consulted) in the drafting of Richards’ Constitution. The Constitution of paved the way for constitutional development in Nigeria. The Constitution of promoted the unity of Nigeria by uniting the north and south in a central legislative council. The Constitution paves the way for nationalism among Nigerians.
Disadvantages of Richard’s Constitution.
The constitution did not allow full participation of nationalist leaders in the administration of the country. The Nigerians were not fully consulted before the constitution came into force. They were therefore considered autocratic. The voivode exercises his right of veto: he is not obliged to accept the recommendations of the Legislative Council. The council only had an advisory role. The Richard Constitution introduced regionalism in Nigeria, which led to regional rivalries as each region represented one or more ethnic groups. The northern region represented the Hausa/Fulani people, the eastern region represented the Igbo people, the western region represented the Yoruba people and the central western region represented the Beninese and Delta people. This has led to ethnic and tribal contradictions in Nigerian politics. The constitution represents colonial interests. The Constitution was incomplete in that it created a Supreme House in the North and no Supreme House in the South. The franchise was limited to upper class people.
