The Africa Report
The Nigerian government recently threatened to declare a state of emergency in Anambra, a state in the southeast of the country, because of rising insecurity. This generated heated debate about the legitimacy of declaring a state of emergency. The Conversation Africa’s Ogechi Ekeanyanwu asked political science lecturer Uchenna Simeon to explain the circumstances under which a state of emergency can be declared.
What are the criteria for declaring a state of emergency?
The conditions are set out in Nigeria’s 1999 constitution. A state of emergency can be declared when:
- Nigeria is at war
- the country is in imminent danger of invasion or involvement in a state of war
- there is a breakdown of public order and public safety in any part of the country
- there is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety
- there is an occurrence or imminent danger of the occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity
- there is any danger that clearly constitutes a threat to the existence of Nigeria
The last is when the president receives a request to declare a state of emergency from a state governor. The president can also make the decision in a situation in which the governor of the state fails within a reasonable time to make a request.
