Nigerian Citizens Hierarchy: The Third, Fourth and Fifth Citizens in Nigeria

In this post, we will look at the hierarchy of Nigerian Citizens with respect to the third fourth and fifth citizens of Nigeria.

The Nigerian president according to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is legally the first citizen. The state governor is also seen as the first citizen in his state. The argument as to who is the fourth and fifth citizen in the country shall be discussed in this write-up.

Number three (third citizen in Nigeria)

Be informed that the President of the Nigerian Senate holds the position of number three citizen in the hierarchy of leadership structure in Nigeria. He is the head of the National Assembly and presides over the upper chambers of the legislative arm of government. If the vice-president dies or is deemed incapable to lead, the constitution allows that he be the next in line to be the Vice president of the country.

At the state level, it is the speaker of the state house of assembly that occupies this position.

Fourth Citizen

The number four citizen in Nigeria is occupied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He presides over the lower chamber of the legislative arm of government and has the title Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).

Fifth Citizen

Most people would argue that the Secretary to the Federal Government occupies the position of fifth citizen of Nigeria. This in reality is not so because the SGF is not an elected official and as such, cannot be expected to fill in for an elected official should anything happen. He is just an employee of the President and can be hired (subject to the approval of the senate) and fired at will.

If this plays out, an election is carried out so as to produce the president.