The Courts and the Adminstration of Law in Nigeria

The impact of law is proportional to the efficiency and effectiveness of its administration. The author, a lawyer himself, sets in historical context the development of the administration of law in Nigeria from 1863 to the period of the Second Republic. Statues and constitutions which brought about important changes in the system are highlighted and discussed. Topics treated include the reception of English law; judicial attitude to ouster provisions; the place of the judiciary in the body politic; and the different stages in the judicial hierachy - particularly the control of inferior courts and tribunals by superior courts, by means of prerogative writs. Attention is also given to the functional aspects of law and its pervading control mechanism over society: fundamental rights, social and economic laws, and the highly controversial role of law in the political arena during elections are analysed. Both theoretical and practical, the book is based on a combination of decisions of English and other common law countries and those of the Nigerian courts.