The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was established in 1977 by the NNPC Act No. 33, through the merger of the Nigerian National Oil Company (NNOC) and the then Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The main function of the NNPC was primarily operational while the duty of the Ministry was mainly regulatory. The new body NNPC started to perform both operational as well as regulatory functions.

Features of Lyttleton Constitution - The political crises that hit the country in 1953 created regional and ethnic animosities, which eventually led to the eventual breakdown of the Macpherson Constitution and the consequent promulgation of the Lyttleton Constitution of 1954.