REPUBLICAN CONSTITUTION OF 1979*

 *After the military took over in 1966 and the 1963 constitution was set aside, there were many steps taken towards the drafting of a new constitution for Nigeria. The Aguiyi Ironsi review set up a new constitutional committee headed by F. R. A. *Williams, but the committee did not do much before the regime was terminated.*

*Yakubu Gowon, who* *followed Aguiyi Ironsi, set up a constitutional conference and took part in the drafting of a constitutional program in Aburi, Ghana which was never implemented. It was the Murtala-Obasanjo regime which came in 1975 that established a 49-member constitution-drafting committee (CDC) that same year, chaired by F. R. A. Williams.*

*The constitution was completed in 1976 and reviewed by a 230-member constituent assembly, headed by Justice Udo* *Udoma, and it worked from 1977 to 1978. The Supreme Military Council carried out final amendments and promulgated the new* *constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria into a decree to come into effect from 1st October, 1979.*