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Law and Development in Nigeria: A Need for Activism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Abstract

This article explores the use of law in development at two levels in Nigeria. Development as a state duty has been provided for under the constitution, thereby creating socio-economic rights for citizens, albeit rights which are unenforceable. Seven development policies drawn up at different times have all also invoked law in one way or another to facilitate the achievement of their respective objectives. Both cases reflect the international trend in their respective discourses. The first approach mirrors the international human rights regime, while the second mimics international development discourse. While the instrumental use of law is desirable, this article argues that it is inadequate. More needs to be done to supplement it. First, courts need to adopt a radical interpretation of the constitutional provisions to make socio-economic rights enforceable. Secondly, people need to be active citizens through participation in the development process.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 2011

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References

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8 Id, sec 16(2)(d).

9 Id, sec 17(3)(a).

10 Id, sec 17(3)(d).

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18 Secs 31(1), 32(1) and 42(1) of the 1960, 1963 and 1979 constitutions respectively.

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50 The oil companies were Agip, Elf, Gulf, Mobil, Pan Ocean, Shell BP and Texaco. Its participation in Shell BP rose to 80% following nationalization of the British interest in the company in August 1979.

51 Indigenization is different from nationalization. In the former, citizens are involved directly through a progressive transfer of business ownership from foreign interests to them, while in the latter it is the government that takes over the entire interest in the business concerned, as happened with the British interest in Shell BP. The government may decide merely to take a participation interest as it did in the multinational oil companies listed at note 50.

52 No 4 of 1972.

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54 Id, sec 4(1).

55 There are 22 types of enterprise listed: advertising agencies and public relations; pool betting and lotteries; assembly of radios, tape recorders, television sets, etc.; blending and bottling of alcoholic drinks; blocks, bricks and ordinary tiles manufacture; bread and cake making; candle manufacture; etc.

56 The decree referred to the “appointed day” which it interpreted under sec 16(1) to be 31 March 1974.

57 Sec 4(1)(a) of the decree.

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61 Again, the decree referred to an “appointed day” which under sec 16(1) meant 31 March 1974.

62 Id, sec 5(1)(a)(i)(ii) and (b). It needs to be made clear that, while sec 4 sanctioned the outright purchase by Nigerian citizens of alien enterprises listed in schedule 1, sec 5 permitted the acquisition of equity participation by Nigerian citizens in alien enterprises listed in schedule 2. See Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Board “Buying and selling under the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Decree 1972” (1973) at 5. The marginal note “Enterprises partially barred to aliens” to sec 5 bears testimony to this distinction.

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75 See the 1986 budget of the federal military government.

76 Ibid. The proof that the naira was overvalued lay in the existence of two parallel systems of exchange rates: the official rate of N1 = $1,005 and the unofficial rate of N4–N5 = $1 (as at December 1985). The appropriate rate was argued to be somewhere in between. See Nwabufo, P and Okigbo, CEssays in the Public Philosophy of Development: Lectures on the Structural Adjustment Programme (vol 4, 1993, Fourth Dimension) at 7677Google Scholar.

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79 No 25 of 1988. The decree was incorporated into the revised laws of Nigeria as the Privatization and Commercialization Act, chap 369, vol XXI, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

80 13 insurance companies, ten manufacturing firms, two hotels, four transportation companies and 15 agricultural and agro-allied firms.

81 27 commercial and merchant banks, 23 major manufacturing firms in various sectors including building, printing, oil, shipping and airline.

82 There were ten major enterprises here.

83 There were 14 major enterprises here.

84 Originally a decree, it became the NEP Act, chap 303, vol XVIII, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

85 The schedule contains 40 enterprises which include bread and cake making, hairdressing, laundry and dry-cleaning, ice-cream making, office cleaning and singlet manufacturing.

86 Ogowewo “The shift to the classical theory”, above at note 65.

87 Private hospitals and schools have long existed. Recently, there were moves to privatize federal government-run unity secondary schools. Under pressure, however, the government retreated and invited bids in a public private partnership project to manage the schools. See M Haruna “Ezekwesili's fishy PPP”, available at <http://www.gamji.com/haruna/haruna.htm> (last accessed 23 February 2009).

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91 Id at 28.

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93 Report of the Vision 2010 Committee, 1997, at 5, available at <http://www.vision2010.org/vision-2010/> (last accessed 14 February 2007).

94 Id at 34.

95 Id at 11.

96 Id at 30.

97 Id at 7, 18 and 49.

98 Id at 38–39.

99 These are generally shared. According to the report, they include ethics, sense of justice, discipline, integrity, God-consciousness, industry, social responsiveness and selflessness: id at 39.

100 This means fighting social evils such as bribery, inflation of contracts, nepotism, advanced fee fraud, extortion, kickbacks: ibid.

101 This embodies accountability, transparency, justice, freedom of information and expression: ibid.

102 This refers to a situation where lives and property are secure. See id at 59, where the report dwelt on the subject under “Where we are” on political and socio-cultural direction. It says law and order promote social justice, harmony and economic progress: ibid.

103 The report insufficiently relates this aspect to “political stability” which it says “is an essential prerequisite for the achievement of a meaningful economic development”: ibid.

104 Id at 40.

105 Id at 69.

106 Ibid.

107 Id at 54.

108 Id at 78.

109 Id at 102.

110 Ibid. Legal reforms came under “other issues” of the visioning process in chap 1 of the report (see 42–43). The details of these critical success factors are found in chap 3 of the report.

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115 This is the subject of part three, consisting of chaps 5–7 of NEEDS: id at 52–83.

116 This pillar is covered under part four, consisting of chaps 8–11: id at 86–118.

117 Id at 53 and 55.

118 Id at 56, box 5.1.

119 Id at 55–58.

120 Id at xiii–xiv and 10–11.

121 Id at 87–88 and 101.

122 The act took effect on 1 July 2003. It was extended by circular to cover all federal civil servants from 1 October 2003.

123 NEEDS, above at note 113 at 92. Benefits and maintenance of houses are often inflated to the detriment of public interest.

124 Id at 90.

125 Id at 95–99.

126 UNDP Fighting Climate Change, below at note 131.

127 Transparency International “Corruption perception index 2008”, available at: <http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2008> (last accessed 24 September 2009).

128 (6 June 2008) Leadership.

129 “Editorial” (8 October 2008) The Guardian.

130 (19 December 2008) Daily Trust.

131 UNDP assesses countries' level of human development using three categories: high, medium, and low human development indices. Countries in the first category have a human development index (HDI) value of 0.800 and above; those in the second category have a HDI value between 0.500 and 0.799; and those in the last category have a HDI value below 0.500. Nigeria has always been in the low category. See for instance UNDP Human Development Report 1990: Concept and Measurement of Human Development (1990, UN); UNDP Human Development Report 1995: Gender Human Development (1995, UN); UNDP Human Development Report 2001: Making New Technologies Work for Human Development (2001, UN); and UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World (2007, UN).

132 1987 LRC (Const) 351.

133 (1992) AIR SC 1858.

134 For instance, art 16 of the charter provides for the right to health; art 17 recognizes the right to education; and art 22 imposes a duty on the state to ensure the right to development.

135 It is domesticated under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, chap 10, vol 1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

136 (1996) 9 NWLR, pt 475 at 710.

137 The same point was made in the case of Ogugu v State (1994) 9 NWLR, pt 366, 1.

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139 See for instance the communiqué of the post-election civil society summit organized by the Alliance for Credible Elections at Denis Hotel, Lagos, held on 25th April 2007 (on file with the author), which condemned the April 2007 elections as “fraudulent, a charade and indeed non-elections”; Human Rights Watch Criminal Politics: Violence, ‘Godfathers and Corruption in Nigeria’ (October 2007), vol 19 no 16(A)Google Scholar.

140 It inaugurated an Electoral Reform Committee led by former chief justice, Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, to study and make recommendations for the reform of the electoral process. The committee has submitted its report and the government is expected to implement at least some of its recommendations. See (12 December 2008) Leadership; (12 March 2009) Daily Trust; (12 March 2009) Leadership.

141 Sen Development as Freedom, above at note 34.

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143 Id at 290.

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147 UNDP put Nigeria's adult illiteracy rate in 1990 as 49%. The rate of 30.9% in 2005 is the lowest Nigeria ever recorded. See UNDP Concept and Measurement, above at note 131 and UNDP Fighting Climate Change, above at note 131.

148 Large congregations are held by Christians every Sunday and by Muslims every Friday.