The Federal Government has identified 268 obsolete, spent or repealed federal laws for exclusion from the proposed 2025 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, following a comprehensive review of 932 federal enactments.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of the final report of the Committee on the Review, Update and Consolidation of the Laws of the Federation.

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Fagbemi said the committee examined 932 federal enactments and 731 subsidiary legislations, identifying 664 enactments, together with their relevant subsidiary legislation, for inclusion in the revised edition.

He described the exercise as a major step towards providing Nigeria with an updated and consolidated collection of federal laws.

The minister explained that the review was necessary because the last official consolidation of the Laws of the Federation was carried out in 2004, leaving more than 20 years of legislative and institutional developments to be incorporated.

During that period, he said, several new laws and amendments had accumulated, making a comprehensive review necessary to ensure that the country’s legal framework remained coherent, accessible and responsive to contemporary needs.

Fagbemi disclosed that he constituted the committee on October 24, 2024, with a mandate to examine federal enactments and subsidiary legislation, identify outdated provisions, resolve inconsistencies and overlaps, and produce an authoritative edition of Nigeria’s laws.

He commended the committee, chaired by Olawale Fapohunda (SAN), for completing what he described as an extensive assignment involving legal research, legislative analysis, technical coordination and editorial work.

According to the minister, the committee adopted a structured approach through 14 thematic working groups, supported by retreats and technical engagements to harmonise the findings and ensure quality control.

He also acknowledged the contributions of development partners and collaborating institutions, including the ROLAC Programme, the Law Commission of England and Wales, LexisNexis South Africa, the Lagos State Law Reform Commission and Law Pavilion.

Fagbemi said the final report would be presented to President Bola Tinubu for onward transmission to the National Assembly for consideration and necessary legislative action.

He stressed that the successful implementation of the recommendations would require sustained cooperation between the Executive and the Legislature.

The minister also warned against another prolonged gap in the consolidation of federal laws, calling for a permanent system to track new enactments, amendments and subsidiary legislation.

He said Nigeria needed to strengthen its capacity to keep its laws current rather than wait decades before undertaking another comprehensive review.

Earlier, Fapohunda said the committee had completed its assignment after more than two years of reviewing, harmonising and consolidating federal legislation.

He explained that the exercise went beyond reproducing existing statutes, as members also assessed their relevance and legal status while identifying provisions requiring further legislative attention.

“Our primary objective was clear: to purge obsolete and redundant statutes, resolve conflicting provisions, and seamlessly integrate contemporary socio-economic and technological realities into our national legal framework,” he said.

Fapohunda disclosed that the committee established 14 working groups, supported by technical teams responsible for collation, drafting, quality assurance, oversight and editorial review.

Digital tools, including cloud-based document management systems, shared working platforms and virtual meetings, were also deployed to coordinate the work of members across different locations.

However, the committee identified several issues requiring further attention, including archaic statutory language, cumbersome cross-references, outdated chapter numbers and inconsistencies in the sequencing of some Acts.

It also raised concerns about statutory fines and fees that have failed to reflect prevailing economic realities, with some penalties remaining as low as N10 or N50.

The committee recommended that the Attorney-General issue an advisory note to ministries, departments and agencies on established procedures for reviewing their enabling laws and subsidiary legislation.

Fapohunda said recurring weaknesses in legislative drafting by some MDAs had created ambiguities and conflicting provisions, making clearer guidance necessary.

He further recommended the establishment of a centralised national repository of federal legislation to improve access to existing laws and support continuous updates.

The committee also proposed a structured mechanism for regular law revision to prevent another prolonged period without an official consolidation.

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At the presentation, Fapohunda submitted the committee’s final report and draft copies of the 20 volumes of the proposed Laws of the Federation 2025 to Fagbemi for consideration and further executive action.