Article 51
Powers and Functions of the Federal Government
1. It shall protect and defend the Constitution.
2. It shall formulate and implement the country’s policies, strategies and plans in
respect of overall economic, social and development matters.
3. It shall establish and implement national standards and basic policy criteria for
public health, education, science and technology as well as for the protection
and preservation of cultural and historical legacies.
4. It shall formulate and execute the country’s financial, monetary and foreign
investment policies and strategies.
5. It shall enact laws for the utilization and conservation of land and other natural
resources, historical sites and objects.
6. It shall establish and administer national defence and public security forces as
well as a federal police force.
7. It shall administer the National Bank, print and borrow money, mint coins,
regulate foreign exchange and money in circulation; it shall determine by law
the conditions and terms under which States can borrow money from internal
sources.
8. It shall formulate and implement foreign policy; it shall negotiate and ratify
international agreements.
9. It shall be responsible for the development, administration and regulation of
air, rail, waterways and sea transport and major roads linking two or more
States, as well as for postal and telecommunication services.
10. It shall levy taxes and collect duties on revenue sources reserved to the Federal
Government; it shall draw up, approve and administer the Federal
Government’s budget.
11. It shall determine and administer the utilization of the waters or rivers and
lakes linking two or more States or crossing the boundaries of the national
territorial jurisdiction.
12. It shall regulate inter-State and foreign commerce.
13. It shall administer and expand all federally funded institutions that provide
services to two or more States.
14. It shall deploy, at the request of a state administration, Federal defence forces
to arrest a deteriorating security situation within the requesting State when its
authorities are unable to control it.
15. It shall enact, in order to give practical effect to political rights provided for in
this Constitution, all necessary laws governing political parties and elections.
16. It has the power to declare and to lift national state of emergency and states of
emergencies limited to certain parts of the country.
17. It shall determine matters relating to nationality.