FG Reviews 932 Federal Laws, Scraps 268 Obsolete Statutes for LFN 2025

The Federal Government has reviewed 932 federal enactments and 731 subsidiary legislations, identifying 268 laws as obsolete, spent, or repealed for exclusion from the forthcoming 2025 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN).
​The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of the final report by the Committee on the Review, Update and Consolidation of the Laws of the Federation.
​Fagbemi noted that out of the 932 enactments examined alongside their relevant subsidiary legislations, 664 have been marked for inclusion in the LFN 2025 edition, while 269 were classified as obsolete, spent, or repealed.
​“These outcomes represent substantial progress towards providing the country with an updated and consolidated body of federal laws,” Fagbemi stated, emphasizing that the last official consolidation was carried out in 2004.
​He explained that more than two decades of significant legislative, constitutional, institutional, and technological developments made a comprehensive review imperative to keep federal laws coherent, current, and accessible.
​Committee Process and Recommendations
​Constituted on October 24, 2024, and chaired by Olawale Fapohunda (SAN), the committee adopted a structured approach using 14 thematic working groups supported by digital cloud-based tools, retreats, and technical engagements. The review also benefited from collaborations with development partners, including the ROLAC Programme, the Law Commission of England and Wales, LexisNexis South Africa, the Lagos State Law Reform Commission, and Law Pavilion.
​Presenting the final report and 20 draft volumes of the LFN 2025 to the AGF, Fapohunda highlighted several structural challenges discovered during the exercise, including archaic statutory language, cumbersome cross-references, outdated chapter numbers, inconsistent sequencing of Acts, and unrealistic statutory fines and fees—some remaining as low as ₦10 or ₦50.
​To prevent future backlogs, the committee recommended:
​Issuing an advisory note by the AGF to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) regarding standard legislative drafting procedures to avoid ambiguities and conflicting provisions.
​Establishing a centralised national repository of federal legislation to improve public access and facilitate continuous updates.
​Institutionalising a structured, ongoing mechanism for continuous law revision to avoid another lengthy gap between consolidations.
​The AGF commended the committee’s extensive research and technical coordination, noting that the report will be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for onward transmission to the National Assembly for legislative consideration.