Report on Citizenship Law: Nigeria 2.6 Tracing attribution of citizenship at birth The following table summarises the citizenship provisions in force at different dates. Attribution of Nigerian citizenship at birth, based on date and location of birth Date of birth Before 1960 1 Born in Nigeria Born outside Nigeria Oct One parent or grandparent also born Father was born in Nigeria of one parent or grandparent also born in Nigeria there Between 1 Oct Automatic at birth (unless father a Father a citizen 1960 and 7 Oct diplomat and mother not a citizen) 1974 Between 8 Oct One parent or grandparent also born Both parents citizens 1974 and 30 in Nigeria; OR Sept 1979 One parent a citizen [unless neither parent a citizen, and any parent or grandparent had lost citizenship] Between 1 Oct One parent or grandparent a citizen; One parent a citizen 1979 and 28 OR May 1999 Descent from a person born in the country before 1 October 1960 with one parent or grandparent born in the country who ‘belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria’ Since 29 May [Unchanged] 1999 [Unchanged] 3. Current Citizenship Regime The citizenship provisions of the 1979 constitution were repeated largely unaltered in the 1999 Constitution, still in force. The Citizenship Acts of 1960 and 1961 repealed in 1974 have never been replaced, and the only law governing citizenship is the 1999 Constitution. 3.1 Automatic attribution of citizenship at birth Section 25(1) of the 1999 constitution states that: The following persons are citizens of Nigeria by birth – namely: 6 RSCAS/GLOBALCIT-CR 2020/12- © 2020 Author(s)