| 1 |
Author(s):
Amao Dauda Kolawole, Ogunkunle Omowumi Omotayo, Judith Ngozi Agu, Omoniyi Adewale Duyilemi, Sakpere Wilson.
Page No : 1-17
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Role of Technology in a Social, Economic and Ethical Environment: Jurisprudence Approaches to Legal Reasoning.
Abstract
Technology has dramatically transformed legal reasoning and impacted social, economic, and ethical frameworks. This article explores the evolving role of technology in the law and analyses its impact from different legal perspectives. From digital communication tools and automation to artificial intelligence and forensic advances, technology is improving legal efficiency, access to justice, and decision-making processes. Digital case management systems, blockchain smart contract technology, and virtual courts have revolutionized legal practice, making legal services more efficient and convenient. However, the integration of technology into legal argumentation also raises significant ethical questions. Issues such as data privacy, cybersecurity threats, and algorithmic bias in AI-driven legal systems challenge the fairness and accountability of legal decision-making. The potential for job loss or displacement, particularly among younger legal professionals, further complicates the economic situation. The rise of technology-based legal services requires a rethinking of traditional billing structures and legal education in order to prepare future legal practitioners for digital careers.
Legal theory, including legal positivism, natural law, and critical legal studies, offer different perspectives on how legal reasoning adapts to technological change. Legal positivists focus on the written rules governing technology, while natural law theorists emphasize ethical considerations and critical legal scholars criticize technology for its role in exacerbating power imbalances. This study argues that while technology offers many benefits, its regulation and ethical application remain essential to maintaining justice, fairness, and accountability. A balanced approach is necessary to align technological progress with legal principles, ensuring that legal systems remain adaptable yet firmly rooted in fundamental rights and due process. By adopting a proactive and ethically guided framework, legal institutions can harness technology’s potential while mitigating its risks in a rapidly evolving digital world.
| 2 |
Author(s):
Olabisi Sanni Alaba, Samuel Andokari Adda, Jenis Rahila Kureh.
Page No : 18-28
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The Role of Auditing and Evaluation in Promoting Transparency and Good Governance: A Study of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Taraba State.
Abstract
This study examines the role of auditing and evaluation in driving transparency and good governance, for Taraba State's Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. As problems with governance still affect Nigeria's subnational institutions, most critically accountability and transparency, this study examines how institutional performance and public trust can be driven by consistent auditing processes. Employing a mixed-method design, the study blends quantitative regression analysis with qualitative evidence to capture the frequency, efficacy, and consequences of audits. The outcome demonstrates a very strong and statistically significant relationship between frequent audits and transparency (R² = 0.895), suggesting that audits are critically important in making finance more accountable and operations more open. Additionally, audits moderately influence good governance (R² = 0.286), which captures their role in improving resource management and administrative procedures, though other determinants such as leadership and citizen engagement remain important. The study concludes that auditing is a foundation instrument for promoting transparency and governance but must be paired with broader institutional reforms to ensure comprehensive accountability. Recommendations also involve institutionalizing audits, enhancing oversight, utilizing digital tools, and building inclusive governance mechanisms.
| 3 |
Author(s):
Agom Ucha Caroline (Ph.D, BL).
Page No : 29-38
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Endangered Species Legislation in Nigeria: Analysis of Domestic Legal Instruments.
Abstract
This article provides a comprehensive analysis of endangered species legislation in Nigeria, examining the domestic legal instruments that govern wildlife conservation and the challenges faced in enforcement. It begins with an overview of Nigeria’s rich biodiversity and highlights notable endangered species along with key threats to their survival. The discussion then delves into the primary legal frameworks, focusing on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act (NESREA), while identifying significant gaps and inconsistencies within these laws. The article further explores the enforcement challenges posed by resource constraints, corruption, and limited political will, as well as the crucial role of community involvement and public awareness in successful conservation efforts. A comparative analysis with international standards reveals areas of alignment and gaps in Nigeria's legislation concerning global conservation commitments. The article concludes with recommendations aimed at strengthening Nigeria's endangered species conservation framework, emphasizing the need for legislative updates, increased funding, enhanced community engagement, and greater public awareness to foster a collective responsibility for protecting the nation’s biodiversity.
Keywords: Endangered Specie, Wild life Conservations, Legislation, Biodiversity Protection, Enforcement Challenges
| 4 |
Author(s):
Prince Uche Amadi (Ph.D.).
Page No : 39-56
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Resolving the Normative Complexities in Balancing Investors’ Human Rights Obligations in Investment Agreements: Does Africa’s Emerging Investment Landscape Provide Some Hopes?
Abstract
The obligations arising from investment protection regime can impede states’ power to pursue legitimate human rights policy objectives. This raises unique obligatory challenges for a host-state in balancing human rights obligation and investment protection. Will the emergence of the new Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area Agreement’s (AfCFTA) investment chapter provide the much-needed regulatory balance between investment protection and human rights obligations of host states and promote investors’ human rights responsibility? This paper raises this question through the analytical lens of the asymmetrical relationship between investment protection and human rights and x-rays Africa’s structural responses to this relational imbalance. The paper recognises the obligatory potentials of the reform models in Africa’s treaty-making practices towards expanding regulatory space of the host-states for human rights and to promote investor’s human rights responsibility. The paper however highlights the limitations inherent in the existing models. The paper identifies normative human rights disparity and human rights deficit in Africa as a major hindrance in measuring realisable investors’ human rights obligation in investment treaties. By introducing the human rights integration model, the paper offers new insights and approach that harmonises Africa’s human rights landscape for determining and measuring investors’ human rights obligation under the emerging AfCFTA’s investment chapter.
| 5 |
Author(s):
Okeke Uche Darlington, Chukwubuikem I. Obianyo, Ater Solomon Vendaga.
Page No : 57-80
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Towards the Deployment of Artificial Intelligence for Tax Administration in Nigeria: An Ethical and Legal Analysis.
Abstract
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in the 21st Century had begun to transform key sectors of the global economy, including taxation. In Nigeria, while the government had acknowledged AI’s potential benefits by establishing initiatives such as the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) in 2020, the country remained at an early stage of AI integration, particularly within its tax administration. This study examined the ethical and legal dimensions of deploying AI in Nigeria’s tax administration. The study adopted a doctrinal research methodology that analysed existing laws, policy documents, and international best practices. The Study found that although AI could revolutionise tax processes by enhancing efficiency and accuracy, significant legal and ethical challenges persisted, including data privacy risks, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, lack of transparency, and regulatory uncertainty. Nigeria’s reliance on general statutes such as the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2024 and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, without a specific AI regulatory framework, was identified as a major impediment to safe and effective AI adoption. The research recommended the creation of a robust, dedicated legal and ethical framework to regulate AI deployment in taxation, with an emphasis on safeguarding taxpayer rights, fostering innovation, and building public trust. It concluded that timely regulatory intervention was critical to ensure that Nigeria could responsibly leverage AI’s transformative power in its tax system.
| 6 |
Author(s):
Danladi Hussaini (Ph.D.), Olabisi Sanni Alaba, Wunuji Wakimbo, Samuel Andokari Adda.
Page No : 81-91
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Public Participation and Accountability in Local Governance: An Assessment of Complaint Mechanisms in Taraba State’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Abstract
This study investigates the role of complaint mechanisms in enhancing public participation and accountability within the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Taraba State, Nigeria. Despite policy frameworks promoting transparency and civic engagement, implementation at the local level remains limited. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research collected quantitative data from 330 respondents through structured questionnaires and employed statistical tools such as t-tests and regression analysis to assess the relationship between complaint systems, public participation, and accountability. Findings reveal that a majority of citizens perceive existing complaint mechanisms as unclear and ineffective, with 66.7% reporting dissatisfaction with procedures for addressing misconduct and 86.7% expressing skepticism about procurement transparency. However, statistical results indicate a significant positive relationship between effective complaint mechanisms and accountability (F = 23.569, p = 0.000), and between public participation and transparency (F = 730.202, p = 0.000; β = 0.831). The study identifies major barriers to engagement, including low civic awareness, poor institutional trust, and limited access to information. Recommendations include institutionalizing accessible grievance channels, enhancing civic education, digitizing financial records, and fostering inclusive decision-making platforms. Ultimately, the research underscores the need for systemic reforms to promote responsive, inclusive, and accountable local governance.
| 7 |
Author(s):
Umoh. A. Kofi (Ph.D.), Akingbade Babajide Olufemi.
Page No : 92-108
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Ethnicity and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria.
Abstract
The study Ethnicity and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria espoused that ethnicity and prebendal politics through the manifestation of political control of state apparatus in favour of a particular ethnic group or groups that are opportune to be in political authority has inevitably created a dangerous politics of prebendalism. This has posed fundamental challenges to merit in the selection of appointments and promotion in civil service, national integration, voting patterns and nation-building in Nigeria. The major objectives of this study were: to explain how ethnicity and prebendal politics affected the selection of appointment on merit into governance in Nigeria, to access how ethnicity and prebendalism affect national integration in Nigeria, to examine the impact of ethnicity and prebendal politics on voting pattern in Nigeria and to evaluate the effects of ethnicity and prebendal politics on nation building in Nigeria. The study adopted Focus Group Discussions and semi-structured interview methods, which allow for a comprehensive exploration of participants' experiences, perspectives, and insights regarding ethnicity and prebendal politics. The study relied on the primary and secondary sources of data. Data were analysed qualitatively and supported by Focus Group Discussions and a semi-structured interview approach, small groups of participants from various sectors, such as academics, traditional rulers, bureaucrats, civil society organizations, and policymakers gathered to explore their perspectives on ethnicity and prebendal politics in Nigeria. The study employed four theoretical frameworks, namely the group theory, elitist theory, primordial theory and prebendal theory. Thus, the prebendal theory was considered a more relevant theoretical review of analysis for the study. The study findings revealed that ethnicity profoundly influences nepotism in governance appointments in Nigeria, creating a significant encumbrance of the country's development. Ethnic favouritism is pervasive, as political elites often prioritize appointments based on ethnic and personal connections over merit or qualifications and then use state resources to cater for the interest of their loyalist. The study recommended among others institutionalization of merit-based appointments, strengthening the anti-corruption mechanisms, encouragement of civic education and fostering national integration initiatives will help to mitigate the issues and challenges arising from ethnicity and prebendal politics in Nigeria.
| 8 |
Author(s):
Faleti Stephen Ademola (Ph.D.), Ajibola Oladapo Peter.
Page No : 109-125
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Appraisal of Intergovernmental Conflicts in Nigeria: The Buhari Administration (2015–2023).
Abstract
This study critically appraises intergovernmental conflicts in Nigeria during the Buhari administration (2015–2023), situating them within the broader trajectory of Nigeria's evolving federal system. It highlights the persistent centralization of power rooted in colonial legacies, military governance, and constitutional ambiguities that undermine genuine federalism. The research identifies fiscal federalism, security decentralization, and legislative-executive tensions as primary flashpoints. Key events such as the VAT dispute between Rivers State and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the emergence of the Amotekun regional security outfit, and selective enforcement of anti-corruption efforts illustrate how power struggles between government tiers intensified under Buhari. The centralization of resource control, particularly oil revenues, and manipulation of the State-Local Government Joint Account system further marginalized subnational governments, eroding local autonomy and worsening service delivery. The study applies Fiscal Federalism Theory to contextualize these conflicts within structural imbalances in power and revenue distribution. Findings reveal that intergovernmental disputes during this period impeded national development, weakened democratic institutions, and deepened regional distrust. Despite these challenges, signs of a growing consensus for restructuring among subnational units, as well as judicial interventions, suggest pathways for reform. The study concludes that without constitutional amendments, institutional restructuring, and stronger intergovernmental cooperation, Nigeria’s federal system will continue to experience instability and inefficiency. The Buhari administration’s legacy in intergovernmental relations thus serves as both a cautionary reflection and a call for urgent systemic reform to ensure a more equitable, functional and cohesive federation.
| 9 |
Author(s):
Prince Uche Amadi (Ph.D.).
Page No : 126-140
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Investment Treaties in a Warming World: Rethinking Protection, Risk, and Responsibility in the Age of Climate Transition.
Abstract
The accelerating climate crisis calls for a profound recalibration of regulatory priorities of host states, particularly in the realms of energy, finance, and environmental governance. As governments implement sweeping measures to decarbonise their economies - phasing out fossil fuels, imposing carbon pricing regimes, and incentivising green technologies - these policies increasingly intersect, and in some instances collide with the legacy architecture of international investment law. Anchored in treaties designed to protect investor expectations and capital flows, the international investment regime now stands at a critical juncture: whether to evolve in response to planetary imperatives or risk obsolescence through normative dissonance.
This article interrogates the legal and conceptual tensions at the heart of this transition. It critically examines how investment tribunals have addressed disputes arising from climate-related regulation and probes the evolving contours of “legitimate expectations,” “fair and equitable treatment,” and regulatory risk under a changing global environmental order. It explores whether traditional treaty protections inadvertently constrain the sovereign regulatory space necessary for states to meet their climate obligations under international law, including the Paris Agreement and emerging customary norms concerning environmental stewardship.
Drawing on doctrinal analysis, recent arbitral jurisprudence, and interdisciplinary insights from climate science and sustainable finance, the article proposes a rethinking of protection, risk, and responsibility in the investment law paradigm. It argues for a normative and structural realignment of investment treaties - through climate-responsive treaty language, public interest exceptions, and reimagined dispute settlement mechanisms - to ensure coherence between economic governance and environmental sustainability. Ultimately, it advances a vision of international investment law that is not merely compatible with, but actively facilitative of, the global climate transition.
| 10 |
Author(s):
Cleopatra Namushi Mayungo, Taonaziso Chowa (Ph.D.).
Page No : 141-158
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Integration of Climate Change Risk Management into Corporate Strategy: A Case of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in Zambia.
Abstract
Climate change is reshaping the global risk landscape, requiring proactive institutional responses that integrate climate risk management into corporate strategies. This study examines the extent to which Zambia’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has incorporated climate change risk into its strategic and operational frameworks. Using a mixed-methods design with 70 staff respondents and 7 key informants, it assessed current practices, alignment with international best practices, and institutional challenges. Findings indicate that while initiatives such as early warning systems and climate-responsive contingency plans exist, climate risk considerations are not systematically embedded in DMMU’s corporate strategy. Key barriers include technical capacity gaps, financial constraints, policy fragmentation, and organizational resistance to innovation. The study concludes that strengthening technical expertise, securing dedicated climate financing, fostering policy coherence, and transforming organizational culture are essential to enhancing resilience and ensuring effective disaster management in the face of escalating climate risks.
