Federal Law Review Recommends Excluding 269 Obsolete Enactments
MBTV News | 13 November 2026
A federal law-review committee has classified 269 enactments as obsolete, spent or already repealed after examining 932 federal laws and 731 subsidiary instruments.
Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi received the committee’s final report in Abuja. The exercise identified 663 enactments for inclusion in a proposed updated Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
This is a recommendation, not a completed repeal
The 269 enactments have not simply been erased by the committee’s report. The next stage is for the report to be presented to President Bola Tinubu and transmitted to the National Assembly for any legislative action required.
The committee was asked to harmonise related provisions, incorporate amendments and laws missing from the 2004 compilation, and identify provisions that are redundant or inconsistent with later constitutional and judicial developments.
Why consolidation matters
An accurate and accessible compilation helps courts, lawyers, businesses and citizens determine which federal laws remain in force. The Nigeria Law Reform Commission’s statutory role includes reviewing federal laws and recommending the removal of obsolete or unnecessary enactments.
Sources: final-report figures and next steps; Nigeria Law Reform Commission mandate; Federal Ministry of Justice description of the Laws of the Federation.
Image note: Licensed illustrative legal photograph.
