Marriage and Property: Clearing a Common Misconception ACROSS Nigeria, disputes over property ownership between spouses have become a recurring feature in courts, families and inheritance battles. A widely held belief persists that marriage automatically grants both partners equal ownership of all assets acquired during the union. However, Nigerian property law takes a far more precise […]
A Pivotal Year for Nigeria’s Legal Profession THE year 1979 occupies a distinguished place in Nigeria’s legal and constitutional history. As the country prepared to transition from prolonged military rule to the Second Republic, the legal profession marked a defining institutional moment with the presentation of a new set of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN). […]
A Growing Culture of Public Punishment ACROSS many Nigerian communities, a troubling pattern has become increasingly visible: individuals accused of theft, infidelity, or other alleged misconduct are publicly beaten, stripped naked, paraded through streets, filmed, and shamed on social media. These actions are often justified as spontaneous community justice or moral correction. However, under Nigerian […]
By ENGR. COLLINS IFY ELIMANI Geography and Communal Structure OGUME is a historically significant community comprising seven villages—Ogbe Ogume, Ogbagu, Ogbe-Ole, Utue, Igbe, Obodo Ugwa, and Umuchime—situated in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Though administratively unified, these villages maintain distinct identities shaped by lineage, settlement patterns, and shared customs. Together, they form […]
Revisiting Nigeria Before the Colonial Map THE modern Nigerian state is often treated as an ancient, fixed political entity. In reality, Nigeria is a relatively recent creation, formally established in 1914 through British colonial amalgamation. Long before this administrative act, the territory now known as Nigeria was home to multiple sophisticated and autonomous civilisations, each […]
An Epidemic Hiding in Plain Sight NIGERIA’S drug abuse crisis has reached alarming proportions, yet its response remains dangerously inadequate. With nearly 14.3 million drug users and fewer than 200 treatment centres—most ill-equipped for addiction care—the country faces a public health challenge of staggering scale. Despite intensified enforcement, drugs remain cheap, accessible and socially […]
Understanding Core Criminal Law Principles in Nigeria IN Nigeria’s criminal justice system, public misunderstanding of basic legal principles often leads to rights violations, wrongful arrests, and avoidable convictions. While laws clearly define what law enforcement agencies can and cannot do, ignorance—on both sides—continues to undermine justice. Four frequently asked questions reveal critical safeguards embedded in […]
THE ANTEBELLUM PLANTATION AS A CLOSED SYSTEM OF CONTROL Understanding the Antebellum World THE Antebellum South was a society defined by contradiction. It celebrated ideals of honor, civility, and domestic virtue, while sustaining an economy built on coerced labor and racial domination. Slavery shaped every aspect of life, from politics and religion to family structures […]
STRUCTURAL POWER & INCUMBENCY ANALYSIS Defections as Strategy, Not Sentiment WHEN a significant majority of Nigeria’s state governors migrate to a single ruling party ahead of a general election, it is rarely an expression of ideological conversion or sudden public admiration for performance. Rather, it is a calculated alignment of political power—one rooted in the […]
State Creation and Regional Strategy: Weighing the Anioma, Adada and Anim Proposals THE agitation for an additional state in Nigeria’s South-East has gained renewed momentum amid longstanding concerns about political imbalance within the federation. Central to the current debate are three proposals—Anioma, Adada and Anim—each advancing different visions […]