Research
Harvesting the Benefits of Inventions in China: Making a Case for the Promotion of Reverse Engineering in Nigeria
Innovation and technology are important catalyst in wealth creation and development of societies and nations. Progress in science is advanced by dissemination of know-how, whether by original innovation or by reverse engineering of existing technology. While original innovation is the standard in this regard, the open secret to boosting economic growth has been said to be reverse engineering, which basically involves the creation of inventions and innovations from the study of existing technology. Reverse engineering is said to lead to faster development and innovations as the creations are based on an existing design and less time and fund is spent on trial and error while working on original inventions. China is one of many nations that discovered this well kept open secret decades ago and are currently harvesting the benefits of its use. It has used reverse engineering to rise and transform itself from a developing nation to one of the largest economies in the world, with the highest economic growth rate in the world today. Nigeria, on the other hand can at best be described as a new born, where reverse engineering for economic growth is concerned.
From Fry Pan to Fire or From Fire to Fry Pan: A Comparative Critique of Competency of a Child Witness in Nigeria
This paper takes a comparative critique of the Nigerian Evidence Acts 2004 and its 2011 counterpart. Specifically, the paper seeks to tackle the question whether the controversial issues raised against the provisions on competency of a child witness under the 2004 Act have been resolved or they are still rearing their ugly heads under the 2011Act. In tackling this question, the paper relies on the two Evidence Acts as the major statutes. Other domestic legislation of Nigeria relevant for consideration, include the Children and Young Persons Act, the Criminal Procedure Act, the Child Rights Act and the Constitution of Nigeria, (as amended). At the international plane, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa are relevant. The paper answers the question raised in this paper in the negative, concluding that, though the Evidence Act, 2011 has brought some innovations to its 2004 counterpart, some of the controversial issues raised under the 2004 Act are compounded under the new Act. The paper recommends necessary steps forward, including legislative and judicial intervention.
Corruption Identified As a Major Determinant of the Rule of Law in the Emerging Nigerian Democracy
Corruption is a universal crime that pervades every human society. The “inseparable†relationship between mankind and corruption is akin to that of a goat and a yam. The distasteful and unpleasant practice that entails the use of entrusted powers for private gain compromises justice; impedes the rule of law and act antithetically to good governance. Though, corruption is a universal social vice, it has of recent acquired an inglorious reputation in Nigeria since the commencement of our present democratic experiment1 I. Introduction . Only recently, Transparency International, the global corruption watchdog released its 2011 report wherein it ranked Nigeria as the 35th most corrupt nation in the world. This unenviable record needs redemption because, corruption is not a way of life, or a passing phase that Nigerians should indulge in; rather, it should be recognized as a problem that demand an urgent attention and resolution because of its attendant negative consequences on the rule of law. This article seeks to briefly explain the term corruption with a view to showing how it determines the rule of law. At the end, the article provides useful solutions as to how corruption can be curbed or brought, to the barest minimum in Nigeria.
Over Two Decades of African Commission on Human and Peoplesa Rights: Flying or Fledgeling
This article examines the operation and performance of African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights since 2007 when it was constituted. It takes a survey of the historical background of the Commission and considers its establishment, membership and independence in comparative perspective with the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights and former European Commission on Human Rights. It points out that taking into consideration the large size of Africa, it is crucially important that the composition of the Commissioners be enlarged. The article evaluates the functions, failures and achievements of the Commission and evaluates the impediments that hinder the Commission from effective performance of its functions since inception. It argues that while some of the obstacles can be overcome by the amendment of the Charter or adoption of Protocols to the Charter, others require political will by African leaders. The article also answers the question whether, with the establishment of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights and African Court of Justice and Human Rights that might replace it, the African Commission should be abolished or the Commission should be strengthened by overcoming the obstacles that hinder it from effective performance of its mandates..
New Trends In The African Human Rights System: Prospects Of African Regional Human Rights Courts*
One of the impacts of the Second World War (WW II) is the movement from the strict reliance on the principle of state sovereignty or v jurisdiction to the concept of universality. 1 The concept gave impetus to and culminated in the adoption of plethora of human rights instruments. Under the United Nations auspices, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948; 2 and today it “represents a major milestone in human progress.†3 It is also the “corner stone of contemporary human rights law,†4 O
