Section 36: Interpretation, exemption, etc.

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"approved" means a person approved by the Minister under section 7 for the purpose of employment by a private guard company;
"company" or "private guard company" means any company incorporated in Nigeria and licensed under the provisions of this Act for the purpose of providing such services as are permitted under section 1 of this Act;
"employee" means a person employed by a private guard company under the provisions of section 7 of this Act;
''firearms'' has the meaning assigned to it by the Firearms Act;
"identity card" means any identity card issued pursuant to section 10 of this Act;
"licence" means any licence issued under section 3 of this Act and ''licensee'' shall be construed accordingly;
"licensing authority" means the Minister or as the case may require, an officer appointed under section 19 (1);
"Minister" means the Minister of Internal affairs.
(2) Any reference in this Act to any section, Part or Schedule not otherwise identified is a reference to that section, Part or Schedule of this Act.
(3) This Act shall not be construed as requiring any of the following persons to hold a licence under or to observe any of the conditions of this Act, that is to say-
(a) any legal practitioner while acting in the ordinary course of his profession or any of his employees while acting in the ordinary course of his employer's profession;
(b) any inspector, guard, watchman, or other person employed to do inspecting, guarding, watching or inquiry work for one employer only (such employer not being a private guard company) in respect of inspecting, guarding, watching or inquiry work done for that employer for the protection of persons or property arising out of the functions or business exercised or carried on by that employer; or
(c) any person whose duties when employed by a private guard company consist of no more than clerical or secretarial work, the giving of information over the telephone on request on matters obtained from existing records of the company or the receipt in the office of the company of moneys payable to that company in the ordinary course of its business.
(4) The Minister may by order published in the Federal Gazette exclude to the extent prescribed therein any person or class of persons whether corporate or unincorporate from the operation of this Act.