Understanding the essential principles of landlord and tenant laws in Nigeria through judicial decisions

Tenancy relationships in Nigeria are largely regulated by statutes. Most of the provisions of these statutes to lawyers and other stakeholders are susceptible to inconsistent interpretations. In recent times, the courts in Nigeria have taken steps to look beyond the law books and give flesh to areas in tenancy matters where there seem to be inadequacies in the provisions of the laws. In doing this, the courts have come up with some legal principles that the relevant statutes do not explicitly provide for, but arguably flow from the provisions of such statutes – a good example being the principle that a tenant who contests ownership with the landlord loses right to statutory notice to quit. Terms such as ‘landlord’ and ‘tenant’ are not as simple as they appear, especially considering the statutory definitions given to them by some of the tenancy statutes in Nigeria – particular attention is given in this regard to Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011. This paper considers the intricacies of the definition of and relationship between the landlord and the tenant as provided in statutes and as interpreted by overtime by courts in Nigeria. The paper analyses the nature of the relationship between the landlord and the tenant as may be conceived and disambiguates the scope of law of a landlord and tenant relationship in Nigeria.     

外国判决在新加坡的承认与执行

外国判决可以通过两种程序在新加坡得到承认与执行.第一种是登记程序,其依据是<英联邦判决相互执行法>或者<外国判决相互执行法>.前者规定了在英联邦国家获得的判决在新加坡的相互执行;后者适用于给与新加坡判决在该外国的承认与执行以互惠待遇的非英联邦成员的国家.登记外国判决的程序规定在<高等法院规则第67号令>中.第二种是重新审理程序,即根据普通法,以外国判决为依据在新加坡法院提起诉讼.     

Imperatives for the enforceability of collective agreements in Nigera

This article examines the rationale behind the non-enforcement of collective agreements in Nigeria, theories propounded for the enforceability of collective agreements, and the need for courts in Nigeria to adopt a more liberal approach towards enforcement. This article argues that contrary to the position of the law in Nigeria that collective agreements are not enforceable, this parties, especially trade union leaders, academics and notable oil companies in Nigeria such as Shell, Chevron, etc. do intend to enter into legal relations whenever a collective agreement is arrived at and this is the reason why there is less industrial unrest in the private sector of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. This article argues that multinational oil companies honour collective agreements entered into with their trade unions because they see such agreements as intended to create legal relations. It is the Nigerian government and its agencies that have failed to honour collective agreements freely entered into with trade unions, despite the time and resources that have been expended to arrive at such collective agreements. This article argues that collective agreements do not fall within the purview of social or domestic arrangements, but business transactions. This article takes a look at the position of collective agreements in other jurisdictions such as the USA, Great Britain, South Africa and The Netherlands, and urges the court in Nigeria to expound the law relating to collective agreement since there are several legislations in Nigeria touching on collective agreements which the courts can expound.     

The importance of an industrial court in the interpretation of labour statutes

The paper highlights the National Industrial Court of Nigeria’s (NICN) importance over the general courts in the interpretation of labour statutes. It compares the judicial interpretation of some provisions of labour statutes by the general courts in Nigeria (represented herein by the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s interpretation of same provisions) with the interpretation of the NICN of same provisions. It argues that the NICN’s interpretation is more favourable to labour rights than that of the general courts. It makes use of the rules of judicial interpretation and Ronald Dworkin’s discussion on interpretation as a framework and adds to it by comparing the judicial interpretation of some provisions of labour statutes by the general courts with that of the NICN. It noted that the NICN’s interpretation was more purposive and promoted labour rights than that of the general courts. The Supreme Court cases used to represent the position of the general courts were those decided before exclusive jurisdiction on employment and labour matters was conferred on the NICN in 2010. Presently, even though the general courts no more have jurisdiction to hear and interpret employment and labour matters the NICN’s interpretations continues to promote labour rights.     

多元法律背景下的苏丹冲突法

苏丹是一个多元法律体制国家.在多元法律体制下,苏丹的冲突法与属人法交织在一起,只不过属人法在冲突法三个领域的地位和表现各不相同.在管辖权方面,苏丹的属人法管辖权规则对苏丹的冲突法管辖权规则没有产生影响,但在某些个别方面,冲突法的管辖权规则让位于属人法管辖权规则;在冲突法的第二阶段即法律适用过程中,属人法的影响非常明显,特别是在婚姻、离婚、继承等方面;在冲突法的最后一个阶段即外国判决的承认和执行中,主要涉及如何判断作出判决的外国法院对案件是否具有管辖权,苏丹法院基本上是根据冲突法而不是属人法的概念作出分析.     

建立国际统一的管辖权和判决承认与执行制度--海牙《选择法院协议公约》述评

海牙国际私法会议于2005年6月所通过的<选择法院协议公约>系迄今为止国际社会在法院管辖权和外国法院判决承认和执行方面意义最为深远的一个公约.本文首先介绍了本文公约产生的背景以及公约的结构.之后,作者就公约中关于统一管辖权的规定进行了较为详细的评述被选择法院行使管辖权的权利和应该行使管辖权的义务、未被选择法院不行使管辖权的义务以及临时保护措施不受公约约束的例外规定.关于公约中所规定的外国法院判决的承认与执行制度作者从六个方面进行了探讨承认与执行外国判决的一般义务、承认与执行外国判决的例外情形、不审查与事实认定、先决问题、损害赔偿问题以及承认和执行外国判决的法律适用问题.     

Criminal law

The law of evidence in Nigeria has never denied the competence of a child to give evidence. The repealed Evidence Act had provisions for how the evidence of a child can be obtained, but did not define or provide a guide as to who is considered a child. As a result, the courts relied on other statutes for illumination as to who a child is. This paper examines the new Evidence Act as it relates to the evidence of a child, particularly the broadening of the scope of child evidence in Nigeria. This paper will conclude that there is marked improvement.     

The balance between equity and efficiency; reflections on the goals of the new Nigerian competition law

In January 2019, the Nigerian Government finally enacted its first competition law after several attempts to do so previously failed. Since all competition regimes advance one or more goals, the paper provides a critical evaluation of what the goals of the Nigerian Competition Law ‘is’ or ‘are’ and/or what they should be. This paper posits that discussion on goals must relate fundamentally to the true reason(s) the nation ‘needs’ an antitrust legislation and the relationship between these reasons (as reflected in the preamble of the legislation) and the prohibitory aspects of the law.Although the goal of competition is generally thought to be relating to promoting economic efficiency, however, for developing countries (including Nigeria), competition must compose of an important equity dimension. Ironically, the work uses the ‘developed’ experience of the EU in later stages to show that the goals of an antitrust policy are never static but dynamic and may not necessarily always admit of ‘efficiency’ considerations. This paper’s argument is that Nigeria needs a welfarist approach to competition which means efficiency should sit as a top objective and that any compromise on economic efficiency as the goal must be accommodated only to the extent that basic principles of a market driven competition is not harmed. Consequently, the work reflects on how the new Nigerian law has provided a balance between market efficiency and other goals of competition and how the new Nigerian competition body can operationalise this balance in the development of the nation’s antitrust policy. In this regard, the EU also provides some important enforcement lessons.     

论英美法系国家判例法的查明和适用

我国学者和法官对是否应该适用英美法系国家的判例法有不同认识,也没有探讨判例法的具体查明途径及适用方法。本文认为:不管判例法是不是我国国际私法的法律渊源,当我国的冲突规范指定适用外国的判例法时,我国法院应该适用外国的判例法;在此情况下,查明外国的判例法是法官和当事人的共同义务;法院应该采取多种方法,包括我国司法解释规定的五种途径以外的其他方法查明外国的判例法。适用外国的判例法一般就是采用类比方法或者区分辨别方法适用判例中确定的法律规则(Ratio);而且,如果当事人对英美法系国家判例法规则达成了一致,我国法院可以直接适用该判例法规则,不需要通过其他查明途径。     

尼日利亚法院处理涉外民商事案件的理论与实践

管辖权问题和法律适用问题是一国法院在处理涉外民商事案件时必须要解决的两个基本问题。尼日利亚法院通常依被告或诉讼标的物"出现"或"位于"其管辖权范围内、传票能够送达被告、被告接受法院的管辖或当事人之间的管辖权协议为由对涉外民商事案件行使管辖,对于涉外民商事案件的法律适用,尼日利亚法院通常适用法院地法,不过,在当事人选择了解决争议的准据法时,尼日利亚法院会尊重他们的选择。     

Wrongful birth in New Zealand

Wrongful birth cases have been a feature of the common law. In this article the author examines wrongful birth cases against the background of the New Zealand accident compensation scheme. Initially cases were accepted under the scheme, but after major changes to the legislation in 1992, wrongful birth cases were declined cover. The author argues that this should continue to be the case, and that, as a result, New Zealand courts will have to make the same policy decisions in this area as those made by other Commonwealth courts.     

Attitude of Nigerian courts to illegally obtained evidence

This article undertakes a detailed examination of the attitude of Nigerian courts to illegally obtained evidence. The current Nigerian position of the law is discussed, and the only exception to the current Nigerian position is identified and evaluated. The article also embarks on a selective review of comparative approaches to the admissibility of illegally obtained evidence in England, South Africa, the United States and Canada. The need for a complete overhaul of the current judicial attitude to illegally obtained evidence in Nigeria is identified and recommendations are made in that regard.     

Defining the limits: the clash between a doctor’s duty to preserve life and enforcement of a patient’s religious belief

This article examines the question whether, under Nigerian law, a doctor has a duty to save the life of a patient whose refusal of medical treatment will inevitably lead to death. An affirmative answer is suggested after an examination of relevant Nigerian laws on the subject matter. Mindful of developments in this area of law in some other jurisdictions, this article concludes that there is scope for the amendment of relevant Nigerian laws to institutionalise a patient’s unqualified prerogative to give informed consent. It however cautions that, in the light of complex social challenges, Nigeria does not appear ready for such a change.     

The Hague judgments project: assessing its plausible benefits for the development of the Indian private international law

At present, India is not a signatory to any international treaty or Convention that regulates the disputes arising from the international jurisdiction of courts or the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in transnational civil or commercial matters. These aspects are, consequently, regulated by the country’s private international law as espoused via case-law, in the absence of any codification of the rules on the subject. This has, therefore, exposed the Indian legal system to the threat of being unpredictable, inconsistent or even obsolete in some respects as far as the governance of international civil and commercial disputes are concerned. The paper, accordingly, investigates the plausible role that the two instruments presently under the scope of the Hague Conference on Private International Law’s Judgment Project, namely, the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements [the HCCA] and the recent Proposed Draft Text on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments [the Draft Convention], may have on the development of the Indian legal system. While the HCCA is already in force with three ratifications till date, the Draft Convention is merely in the form of a draft text that would hopefully see the light of the day, depending upon the consensus between the Members of the Hague Conference. Apropos, this paper identifies the loopholes in the relevant rules of the Indian private international law on the international jurisdiction of courts and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and demonstrates the manner in which, these aspects may be addressed if the country endorses the two instruments under the Judgments Project.     

Nigeria

Conclusion Organized crime activities flourish in Nigeria because law enforcement is weak or nonexistent at all levels. The police were corrupt even before organized crime emerged in its present form in Nigeria. Since “corruption is necessary for the successful operation of organized crime,”⁹⁴ the structure and operation of the Nigerian police, together with the activities of corrupt heads of state and corrupt politicians, made Nigeria fertile ground for organized crime. When those who make the laws and those who enforce the law are shamelessly corrupt, then the entire society is cor-rupted. These leaders are supposed to be the role models of the younger generations in Nigeria. Instead, they represent what Gresham Sykes and David Matza have termed the “appeal to higher loyalty”—a technique for rationalization of wrongs by under-privileged elements of Nigerian society who willingly engage in criminal activity.     

Developing a common law of animal welfare: offences against animals and offences against persons compared

Most animal welfare/suffering cases heard by the courts focus only on the facts: did the defendant, as a matter of fact, do those things with which they are charged? Analysis of the 2010 Amersham horse cruelty case reveals that there is significant room for ambiguity and subjective interpretation within the statutes that underpin animal welfare law. To provide certainty and to allow the law to develop it is essential that cases such as Amersham are not only subject to a review of the facts, but also a full analysis of the legal principles contained within the relevant statutes.     

Party autonomy in the choice of law under Indian and Australian private international law: some reciprocal lessons

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the performance of several contracts and is likely to increase the number of disputes before the courts. In agreements with a foreign element, the adjudication of the rights and liabilities will depend on the applicable law. Most legal systems have embraced the doctrine of party autonomy and, accordingly, permit the parties to expressly select the law to govern the disputes that arise from international contracts. India and Australia are no exception to this trend. In general, the courts in both the commonwealth countries have reported having been influenced by judicial practices of one another to develop their own law. Despite their common law roots, the interpretations attached to the doctrine of party autonomy in the choice of law have varied in some respects in these countries. The paper analyses the judicial trends on the subject and demonstrates the role that party autonomy will play in resolving international disputes where the performance has been affected by the eventualities such as the COVID-19 pandemic in India and Australia. The paper delves into the manner in which the courts in India and Australia may offer reciprocal lessons to each another to revolutionise to interpret the doctrine of party autonomy in the choice of law.     

Private International Law in Chinese Courts

After the entry of China into World Trade Organization, there are problems such as jurisdiction, application of law, and judicial assistance, which need to be resolved step by step in judicial practice on foreign-related civil and commercial matters. As for private and international law problems in the Chinese courts, this paper analyses some general issues, including renovi, inter-temporal conflicts, and proof of foreign laws; reviews jurisdiction problems, for example, common jurisdiction versus special jurisdiction, selective jurisdiction versus presumptive jurisdiction and exclusive jurisdiction; discusses the choice of law problems such as the principle of party autonomy, the principle of the most significant relationship and dépeçage method; and studies recognition and enforcement of foreign judgment and international commercial arbitral award.     

Harvest of arrests but no prosecution: ideation toward strengthening the legal regime for prosecuting pirates in Nigeria

Prosecuting pirates in local courts is one of the most effective ways to suppress piracy. Hence, appropriate legal regime is imperative for prosecuting pirates. Despite the spate of piracy off the Nigerian coast and its attendant consequences, there has been no prosecution of pirates in the country. This paper examined the nature of piracy in Nigeria, the legal basis for prosecuting pirates, challenges in piracy prosecution and measures to enhance the prosecution of pirates in the country. The paper argued that prosecuting pirates is pivotal in curbing piracy and to effectively prosecute pirates, Nigeria should enforce its domestic law criminalising piracy.