ABSTRACT

Remedies for unconstitutional acts and omissions may come through several sources such as the legislature, executive, judiciary, ombudsman or extra judicial means. Judicial review is very much intertwined in the concept of the role of judicial remedies. Judicial review is the power of the court to examine the act of other branches of government such as the executive legislature and judiciary. It also entails the ability of the court to examine the activities of lower courts, public or administrative authorities and uphold them or invalidate them as when necessary. Judicial review is controlled by the court of the exercise of power by government and public authorities; the court amongst other things, usually examines the decision and the procedure used t arriving at a decision. Therefore judicial review is the most common of all the judicial remedies for public and administrative act; and remedy is the most ready available to the aggrieved party and the remedy that can mostly easily be initiated by or on behalf of an aggrieved party. This research project is divided into five chapters. Chapter one deals with general introduction, statement of problem, the objective of the study, the research methodology and literature review. Chapter two focused on the structure and jurisdiction of high court and magistrate court in Akwa Ibom state. Chapter three examined judicial remedies from 1999 constitution using the human rights adjudications for its analysis. Chapter four treated the impediments to effective exercise of judicial remedies in Nigeria. The problems discussed include problem of judicial independence, the problem of corruption in the judiciary, problem of judicial philosophy, the problem of locus standi. Chapter five of the work provided the conclusion and recommendations of the work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Titlepage    -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        i

Declaration           -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        ii

Certification                   -        -        -        -        -        -        -        iii

Dedication  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        iv

Acknowledgement         -        -        -        -        -        -        -        v

Abstract      -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        vii

Table of Contents -        -        -        -        -        -        -        viii

Table of Cases      -        -        -        -        -        -        -        xi

Table of Statutes  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        xiii

Abbreviation        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        xiv

CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1     General Introduction      -        -        -        -        -        1

1.2     Statement of problem-   -        -        -        -        -        3

1.3     Objective of the study    -        -        -        -        -        5

1.4     Scope of the study         -        -        -        -        -        -        5

1.5     Significance of the Study         -        -        -        -        -        6

1.6     Research Methodology  -        -        -        -        -        6

CHAPTER TWO: THE STRUCTURE AND JURISDICTION OF HIGH COURT AND MAGISTRATE COURTS IN AKWA IBOM STATE

2.1     Literature Review -        -        -        -        -        -        8

2.2     Meaning of Jurisdiction-          -        -        -        -        -        12

2.3     The Federal High Court -        -        -        -        -        18

2.3.1  Jurisdiction of the High Court of a State    -        -        19

2.4     The Magistrate Courts - -        -        -        -        -        19

2.4.1  Jurisdiction of the Magistrate Courts         -        -        -        21

2.4.2  Power of Governor to Increase Jurisdiction of

          Magistrates -        -        -        -        -        -        -        23

2.4.3  Civil Jurisdiction of the Magistrate Court -        -        24

CHAPTER THREE: JUDICIAL REMEDIES FROM 1999 CONSTITUTION

3.1     Judicial Remedies In Human Rights Adjudications       -        -        26

CHAPTER FOUR: IMPEDIMENTS TO EFFECTIVE EXERCISE OF JUDICIAL REMEDIES IN NIGERIA

4.1     Problem of Judicial Independence     -        -        -        -        39

4.2     The Problem of Corruption in the Judiciary        -        -        -        44

4.3     Problem of judicial philosophy         -        -        -        -        -        46

4.4     The Problem of Locus Standi  -        -        -        -        -        47

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1     Conclusion -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        53

5.2     Recommendation -        -        -        -        -        -        -        55

Bibliography        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        59

TABLE OF CASES

CASES                                                                                   PAGES

Oruobu v. Anekwe & Ors (1997) 5 NWLR (Pt. 506) 618         -        -        9

Military Governor of Imo State v. Nwauwa (1999) 7 NWLR

 (Pt. 661) 618-        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        10

Asemota v Yesufu & Anor, (1999) 7 NWLR (Pt. 661) 523       -        -        27

Agbaje v Commissioner of Police, (1986) 5 NWLR pt. 45 828

at 889-890  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        28

Burma and Hawa v Sarki 1995 N.W.L.R. pt. 1135       -        -        -    31, 32

Williams v Majekodunmi 1995 N.W.L.R. pt. 1133         -        -        -        32

Shugaba Darman v Minister of Internal Affairs & Ors,

1999 N.W.L.R. pt. 1133         -        -        -        -        -        -        -        32

Okoye v Lagos State Government, (1990)3 NWLR. Pt 136 at 115    34

Queen v The Governor in Council, Western Nigeria, (1962) WNLR. 93        35

Garba v University of Maiduguri (1986)1 NWLR(PT18)550 -        35

R. v Baker (1996)1 NWLR (PT25)578                 -        -        -        -        37

Adesanya v President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

(1981) ANLR 1pg 69    -        -        -        -        -        -        -        48

Fawehinmi v President F.R.N, (2007) 14 NWLR (Pt. 1054) 275      -        49

TABLE OF STATUTES

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1979

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999

Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004

Nigerian Trade union act 2005

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

U.S United State of American

N.W.L.R Nigerian Weekly Law Report

F.R.N Federal Republic of Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     General Introduction

The Nigerian legal system is “the totality of the laws or legal rules and the legal machinery which obtain within Nigeria as a sovereign and independent African country”[1]. During the colonial rule, Nigeria’s grundnorm was derived from the Queen in Parliament. This position dramatically changed when Nigeria became an independent state and the constitution became the basic and fundamental law of Nigeria. As a result of Nigeria’s historical circumstances, Nigeria’s Legal System is part of the common law system. Accordingly, Nigerian legal system has been significantly influenced by the British Commonwealth. As a result, the common law of England, the doctrines of equity as well as statute of general application and review in force in England as at 1st January 1900 form an essential part of Nigeria’s legal system.

                                                                                                                       The Nigerian courts, even under military dictatorship, have been able to preserve constitutionalism to an extent[2] and have not suffered the same fate of disbandment that befell the legislature during the military regimes.[3] Since transition to civil rule in 1999, however, the courts have played a much more pronounced and critical role in settling varieties of disputes and becoming a bulwark for constitutional democracy and guarantee of fundamental rights – what Nigerians labeled as the “last hope of the common man”.[4]

The courts in Nigeria, particularly the Supreme Court, have risen to the occasion by saving the country’s bourgeoning democracy from total collapse. This is evident from several decisions of the courts reviewing legislative and executive actions that are contrary to the provisions of the Constitution. The courts have made radical pronouncements in landmark cases on some constitutional issues, such as conduct of election, impeachment procedures, revenue allocation, division of powers, fundamental rights, political parties and local government, which have gone a long way in strengthening democracy[5]  and fostering constitutionalism in Nigeria. Some of these landmark cases shall be examined in this research project.

1.2     Statement of Problem

Current jurisprudence on judicial review restricts the concept to the determination of the legality of a governmental measure but not the merits or wisdom of such an action or inaction. The question that arises is whether it is not desirable in certain circumstances to extend the powers of judicial review to the merits of a target activity?

Judicial remedy or judicial review is often linked to other judicial proceeding like “appeal” or a normal adjudicatory proceeding. In the exercise of its normal constitutional function of adjudication, the judiciary has to entertain all actions, make all necessary determinations involving law and facts, and see that all parties get each his due according to the law of the land. In the case of an appeal, the courts may have to go into the merits of the case and the weight of evidence sustaining the decision; it may have to rehear all or some aspects of the case and find support or justification for the decision given below; it may have to quash a decision appealed against and replace it with its own decision or do whatever the justice of the case demands. In judicial review, on the other hand, as already stated, the courts must and generally do recognize that the statutory responsibility for performing a given administrative task belongs first and foremost to the administrative agency concerned and that no other person or authority is competent under the law to exercise that function.

Sometimes, it is difficult to draw a clear line between judicial review properly so called and a normal adjudicatory proceeding or even appeal. Such difficulties propelled the formation of this research project as a means of providing clear definition of the concept under study and drawing the line in addressing the extend of operations of judicial remedy.

1.3     Objective of the Study

The study provides an overview of Judicial Remedies to Unconstitutional Act in Nigeria. Specifically the study would examine:

1.           the meaning and nature of judicial review

2.           the structure and jurisdiction of High courts and Magistrate Courts in Akwa Ibom state

3.           human rights adjudications as judicial remedies from 1999 constitution

4.           impediments to effective exercise of judicial remedies in Nigeria

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