Senate reviewing Bill on Indigene status
A new challenge has emerged with the introduction of house bill 2057 (hb.2057), a proposed amendment to the Nigerian constitution aimed at guaranteeing indigene status to individuals based on birth, continuous residence of at least ten years, or marriage. This bill seeks to amend section 31 of the principal act by introducing new subsections that define the criteria for being considered an indigene of a state. According to the proposed amendment, A Nigerian citizen can be considered an indigene of a state if they were born in that state and have lived there for at least 10 years, or were not born in the state but have resided in a local government area of that state for at least 10 years, and can provide Evidence of tax payment in that state for at least 10 years, or is married to an indigene of that state for at least five years, in which case the spouse also becomes an indigene.
