Preamble to the Nigerian Constitution
WE THE PEOPLE of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
HAVING firmly and solemnly resolved:
TO LIVE in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble Sovereign Nation under God dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and understanding:
AND TO PROVIDE for a constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of freedom, Equality and Justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the Unity of our people:
DO HEREBY MAKE, AND GIVE TO OURSELVES the following constitution.
Case View:
What the Supreme Court of Nigeria said about a preamble
Chairman, Lagos Executive Development Board v. Jamil Said & Ors (1967) LPELR-25335(SC)
On the function of a preamble in an enactment
“... A preamble may of course be included in an Act so as to make clear the object of the legislature and if there is a preamble, that can be looked at as a guide to the intention of the Legislature if the wording of a provision of the Act itself creates doubt as to what is its meaning, but there is no legal requirement to incorporate a preamble in an Act, be it altering the Constitution or otherwise.”
@Per IAN LEWIS, JSC (Pp 7 - 8 Paras D - A)