Citizenship, Identity and National Symbols

What you need to know

• Citizenship by birth covers a person born in Nigeria before independence whose parent or grandparent belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria, and a person born in or outside Nigeria after independence either of whose parents, or any of whose grandparents, is a Nigerian citizen.
• Citizenship by registration is open to a woman married to a Nigerian citizen, and to a person of full age and capacity born outside Nigeria any of whose grandparents is a Nigerian citizen. The applicant must be of good character, show a clear intention to live in Nigeria and take the Oath of Allegiance.
• Citizenship by naturalisation is for a foreigner of full age and capacity who has met the long residence requirement the Constitution sets out (fifteen years in total under its residence formula), is of good character, is acceptable to the community he lives in, and is ready to be a useful citizen. The President grants the certificate.
• Only a citizen by birth may hold the office of President, Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor. Registration and naturalisation do not open those doors, and that single fact is the most frequently examined consequence of the three types.
• Citizenship is lost by renunciation (a citizen of full age voluntarily giving it up in writing) and by deprivation, which the Constitution allows only against citizens by registration or naturalisation who act disloyally or are convicted and imprisoned. A citizen by birth cannot be stripped of Nigerian citizenship.
• Dual citizenship is permitted for Nigerians by birth. A person who became Nigerian by registration or naturalisation risks losing it if he keeps or takes another nationality.
• The national flag is green-white-green, designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, then a student, and first flown on 1 October 1960. Green stands for Nigeria's agriculture and natural wealth, white for peace and unity.
• On the coat of arms the black shield is Nigeria's fertile soil, the two white wavy bands forming a Y are the Niger and the Benue meeting at the confluence, the eagle above is strength, the two white horses on either side are dignity and pride, and the red and yellow Costus spectabilis flowers at the base are the beauty of the land. The motto reads: Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress.
• Nigeria has had two anthems. Nigeria, We Hail Thee served from 1960 to 1978, Arise, O Compatriots from 1978, and in May 2024 the National Assembly passed an Act restoring Nigeria, We Hail Thee. Learn the current anthem and the order of the change, because many textbooks in circulation still print only the 1978 one.
• The National Pledge, written by Felicia Adebola Adedoyin and adopted in 1976, is recited immediately after the anthem. It is a personal promise of faithfulness, loyalty, honesty and service, not a song.
• Other national symbols are the Mace, which carries the authority of the legislature so that no sitting is lawful without it; the Naira as national currency; the Presidential Standard; the Seal of the Federal Republic; and the national honours such as GCFR, GCON, CFR, OFR and MFR.
• National identity documents include the National Identification Number issued by the National Identity Management Commission, the Nigerian international passport, the Permanent Voter's Card issued by INEC and the birth certificate from the National Population Commission. Holding a NIN is not proof of citizenship, since resident foreigners are enrolled too.
• Nigeria became independent on 1 October 1960 and a republic on 1 October 1963. It is a federation of thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory, divided into 774 local government areas.
• Keep citizenship separate from indigeneship. Citizenship is national and constitutional; indigeneship is the claim to belong to a particular state or community, and because admissions, scholarships and appointments are tied to it, it is a constant source of friction.