The conference convened to discuss the provisions of the Macpherson Constitution was held in?

1. Analyze the question The question asks where the conference on the Macpherson Constitution (1951) was held. This is a Nigerian constitutional history question.

2. Explain the concept The Macpherson Constitution of 1951 was named after Sir John Macpherson, the Governor-General of Nigeria. It came out of wide consultation, which was unusual for earlier constitutions:

• Discussions began at the village and divisional levels.
• They moved up to the provincial level, then to the regional level.
• They ended with a national-level conference.

The General Conference on the Review of the Constitution was held in Ibadan in January 1950. Delegates from all the regions came together to review the Richards Constitution of 1946 and agree on proposals. The Macpherson Constitution was drawn from those proposals.

3. Step-by-step solution

• The Macpherson Constitution came into force in 1951.
• It followed the review of the Richards Constitution.
• The review ended with the Ibadan General Conference of 1950.
• London (A) hosted later conferences, such as the 1953, 1957 and 1958 constitutional conferences, which dealt with independence and federalism. Lagos also hosted a conference in 1954 and 1953, but not the 1950 review.
• Calabar (B) is not associated with this conference.

4. Answer The conference was held in Ibadan, which is option D.

5. Exam tip Remember the link "Macpherson = Ibadan", both associated with 1950 and consultation. Also keep in mind that the Ibadan Conference was where the people's views were gathered, while later London conferences were where independence terms were negotiated.