Section 5: Functions of the Commission.

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, it shall be the duty of the Commission generally to take and keep under review all Federal laws with a view to their systematic and progressive development and reform in consonance with the prevailing norms of Nigerian society including, in particular, the codification of such laws, the elimination of anomalies, the repeal of obsolete, spent and unnecessary enactments, the reduction in number of separate enactments, the reform of procedural laws in consonance with changes in the machinery of the administration of justice and generally the simplification and modernisation of the law.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, the Commission-
(a) shall receive and consider any proposals for the reform of the law which may be made or referred to it by the Attorney-General of the Federation (hereinafter referred to as "the Attorney-General");
(b) may prepare on its own initiative and submit to the Attorney-General, from time to time, programmes for the examination of different branches of the law with a view to reform;
(c) shall undertake, pursuant to any recommendations approved by the Attorney-General, the examination of particular branches of the law and the formulation, by means of draft legislation or otherwise, of proposals for reform therein;
(d) shall prepare, from time to time, at the request of the Attorney-General, comprehensive programmes of consolidation and statute law revision, and undertake the preparation of draft legislation pursuant to any such programme approved by the Attorney-General;
(e) may provide advice and information to Federal Government departments and other authorities or bodies concerned, at the instance of the Federal Government, with proposals for the reform or amendment of any branch of the law.
(3) The Attorney-General may-
(a) modify the terms of a reference; and
(b) give directions to the Commission as to the order in which it is to deal with references.
(4) For the purpose of the efficient performance of its functions under this Act, the Commission may, from time to time, obtain such information as to the legal systems of other countries as appears to it likely to facilitate the performance of any such function.
(5) The Commission may conduct such seminars and, where appropriate, hold such public sittings concerning any programme for law reform as it may consider necessary from time to time.
(6) The Attorney-General shall lay before the President any programmes prepared by the Commission and any proposals for reform formulated by the Commission pursuant to such programmes.
(7) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the Commission shall be autonomous in its day-to-day operations.
(8) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section "Federal laws" means all laws within the legislative competence of the Government of the Federation and includes all received law and rules of law in force in the Federation and having effect as if enacted by the Federal legislature and all procedural laws and all subsidiary instruments made under or pursuant to any such law.