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UNSBA Inspires

UNSBA 0 unsba inspires Wednesday, March 30, 2016

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<br /><div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html</div>
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<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Rightful liberty is 
unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us 
by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the 
law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it 
violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson<br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/law.html</div>
Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because the law is often  but the tyrant's will and always so when it violates the right of the individual.<br />
<br />
                                                                                                                 - Thomas Jefferson

UNSBA Inspires

Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add...

Christians Globally Celebrate Easter Sunday

UNSBA 0 news Sunday, March 27, 2016

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Christians worldwide are celebrating Easter Sunday, a 
festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 
the dead.<br />
<div class="ad-image">
It is described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third 
day of his burial after his crucifixion by Romans at Calvary.
</div>
According to the gospel of John in the New Testament, Mary Magdalene 
came to the tomb where Jesus was buried and found it empty, and an angel
 told her that Jesus had risen.<br />

Easter is the culmination of the passion of Christ, preceded by Lent 
(or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.<br />

The week before Easter is called holy week, and it contains the days 
of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the last
 supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death
 of Jesus.<br />

The Pope has also delivered his traditional Easter message in Rome, with a scathing condemnation of those who fail to help migrants.<br />

Pope Francis said migrants often met “rejection from those who could offer them welcome and assistance”.<br />

He also condemned terrorism as “a blind and brutal violence” that should be fought with “weapons of love”.<br />

Clergymen at the various worship centres in Nigeria, in their various sermons, sued for ‎peaceful coexistence among citizens and emphasised living in love and humility between the rulers and the ruled.<br />

They urged the leaders to embrace the virtues of sacrifice and 
tolerance in governance, stressing that the welfare of the people should
 be their priority.

Christians Globally Celebrate Easter Sunday

Christians worldwide are celebrating Easter Sunday, a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. ...

New findings in humans provide encouraging foundation for upcoming AIDS vaccine clinical trial.

UNSBA 0 education, news Saturday, March 26, 2016

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<div class="lead" id="first">
Some people infected with HIV naturally 
produce antibodies that effectively neutralize many strains of the 
rapidly mutating virus, and scientists are working to develop a vaccine 
capable of inducing such "broadly neutralizing" antibodies that can 
prevent HIV infection.</div>
<div id="text">
An emerging vaccine strategy involves immunizing people with a series
 of different engineered HIV proteins as immunogens to teach the immune 
system to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV. This 
strategy depends on the ability of the first immunogen to bind and 
activate special cells, known as broadly neutralizing antibody precursor
 B cells, which have the potential to develop into broadly neutralizing 
antibody-producing B cells.<br />

A research team has now found that the right precursor ("germline") 
cells for one kind of HIV broadly neutralizing antibody are present in 
most people, and has described the design of an HIV vaccine 
germline-targeting immunogen capable of binding those B cells. The 
findings by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the 
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the La Jolla Institute 
for Allergy and Immunology were published in Science on March 25.<br />

"We found that almost everybody has these broadly neutralizing 
antibody precursors, and that a precisely engineered protein can bind to
 these cells that have potential to develop into HIV broadly 
neutralizing antibody-producing cells, even in the presence of 
competition from other immune cells," said the study's lead author, 
William Schief, TSRI professor and director, Vaccine Design of the IAVI 
Neutralizing Antibody Center at TSRI, in whose lab the engineered HIV 
vaccine protein was developed.<br />

The body's immune system contains a large pool of different precursor
 B cells so it can respond to a wide variety of pathogens. But that also
 means that precursor B cells able to recognize a specific feature on a 
virus surface are exceedingly rare within the total pool of B cells.<br />

"The challenge for vaccine developers is to determine if an immunogen
 can present a particular viral surface in a way that distinct B cells 
can be activated, proliferate and be useful," said study co-author Shane
 Crotty, professor at the La Jolla Institute. "Using a new technique, we
 were able to show -- well in advance of clinical trials -- that most 
humans actually have the right B cells that will bind to this vaccine 
candidate. It is remarkable that protein design can be so specific as to
 'find' one in a million cells, demonstrating the feasibility of this 
new vaccine strategy."<br />

The work offers encouraging insights for a planned Phase 1 clinical 
trial to test a nanoparticle version of the engineered HIV vaccine 
protein, the "eOD-GT8 60mer." "The goal of the clinical study will be to
 test safety and the ability of this engineered protein to elicit the 
desired immune response in humans that would look like the start of 
broadly neutralizing antibody development," Schief said. "Data from this
 new study was also important for designing the clinical trial, 
including the size and the methods of analysis."<br />

In June, scientists from TSRI, IAVI and The Rockefeller University 
reported that the eOD-GT8 60mer produced antibody responses in mice that
 showed some of the traits necessary to recognize and inhibit HIV. If 
the eOD-GT8 60mer performs similarly in humans, additional boost 
immunogens are thought to be needed to ultimately induce broadly 
neutralizing antibodies that can block HIV.<br />

The new work also provides a method for researchers to assess whether
 other new vaccine proteins can bind their intended precursor B cells. 
This method is a valuable tool in the design of more targeted and 
effective vaccines against AIDS, providing the ability to vet 
germline-targeting immunogens before testing them in large, 
time-consuming and costly clinical trials.<br />

Looking at blood donated by healthy volunteers, the scientists found B
 cells that were capable of creating "VRC01-class" antibodies that 
recognized a critical surface patch, or epitope, of HIV. VRC01-class 
broadly neutralizing antibodies are a group of antibodies isolated from 
different individuals that appear to have developed in a very similar 
way, and it has been hypothesized that the starting VRC01-class B cells 
were very similar in the different people. The eOD-GT8 60mer is designed
 to engage these precursor B cells to initiate HIV broadly neutralizing 
antibody development.<br />

</div>
Source: The Scripps Research Institute

New findings in humans provide encouraging foundation for upcoming AIDS vaccine clinical trial.

Some people infected with HIV naturally produce antibodies that effectively neutralize many strains of the rapidly mutating virus, and ...

Understanding The Concept Of Judicial Precedent And The Doctrine Of Stare Decisis Under The Nigerian Legal System.

UNSBA 0 lecturer's forum Saturday, March 26, 2016

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Introduction</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
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</div>
<div style="mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-linespan: 3; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: dropcap-dropped; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
  <table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" hspace="0" vspace="0"><tbody>
<tr>   <td align="left" style="padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" valign="top">   <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 55.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-linespan: 3; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: dropcap-dropped; mso-height-rule: exactly; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; page-break-after: avoid; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 73.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-text-raise: -7.0pt;">N<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></span></div>
</td>  </tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">igerian
 legal system is one of the legal systems based on common law. Under the
 common law system, the courts do not just decide dispute brought before
 them, before they do that they have to check to see if such dispute has
 been settled before i.e. case law. If there is, the present court will 
consider the quality of the court that gave that earlier decision. The 
court may then follow it or reject it depending on the hierarchy of the 
court that decided that earlier case. The previous case been followed is
 called Judicial Precedents and if the court is bound to follow it we 
say that the precedent is binding. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The doctrine that stipulates that binding precedents must be followed is called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare decisis</i>.
 This feature of being bound by past precedent is one of the 
distinguishing elements between Common Law Jurisdiction and Civil Law 
Jurisdiction. This is not to say that civil law jurisdictions do not 
observe the Judicial Precedent for this is common to all developed 
systems. (See Dais on Jurisprudence 1976 page 164) But the doctrine of 
stare decisis is what is lacking in Civil Law jurisdictions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 strength and beauty of common law is that it is built upon the concrete
 examples of case law rather than hypothetical models as the civil law 
does. It is in view of this that the American jurist Oliver Wendell 
Holmes once said that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘the life of law has not been logic; it has been experience’.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">To
 facilitate the comprehension of this discourse, it will be apposite to 
explaining the meaning of some phrases which are inherently linked to 
the topic under discussion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l10 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">RATIO DECIDENDI</span></i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
 decision of a court may fall into two parts: the reason for the 
decision and that which is said by the way. The ratio decidendi of a 
case is the principle of law on which the decision is based. Goodhart 
defined the ratio decidendi [reason of deciding] of a case as the 
material facts of the case plus the decision thereon. See "Determining 
the Ratio Decidendi of a Case", <em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Essays in Jurisprudence and the Common Law</span></em>
 (1931) 1. It has also been defined negatively as the principle without 
which the court would not have reached its decision. See Abiola Sanni, 
ed, Introduction to Nigerian legal method (2006) 180. While every 
decision refers to some past event, the ratio of it serves as a norm for
 the future. See Dais on Jurisprudence, p. 181</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Determining
 the ratio of a case has not been without difficulty. This is more so, 
as sometimes a Judge may give more than one reason for his decision. 
Also it is possible for the judge to make some other statements, which 
in future may be argued to be the ratio. However as Dais opined “no rule
 should be treated as ratio which does not support the ultimate order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">       </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 250.2pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">                                                                   </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l10 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">OBITER DICTUM</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oxford Dictionary of Law 5<sup>th</sup>
 edition, defined obiter dictum as [Latin: a remark in passing) 
something said by a judge while giving judgment that was not essential 
to the decision in the case. It does not form part of the ratio 
decidendi of the case and therefore creates no binding precedent, but 
may be cited as persuasive authority in later cases. The judge deciding a
 case may speculate about what his decision would be or might have been 
had the facts been different. The value attached to obiter dictum 
depends on the court that the obiter and eruditeness of the judge who 
made it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l10 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">PER INCURIAM</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Per</span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>
 means that a court failed to take into account all the relevant and 
vital statutes or case authorities and that this had a major effect on 
the decision. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>
 does not simply mean the earlier court got things wrong. It only means 
there was a significant oversight, not only must there have been a 
failure to take account of relevant authorities; that fault must also 
have been such a major defect that it seriously affected the reasoning 
in the case and would have affected the outcome. Decisions said to be 
reached <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i> were actually reached <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ignorantium, </i>but
 it is uncomplimentary to say that the court is ignorant of the law. In 
the hierarchy of courts a lower court is bound to follow the decision of
 a higher court even though it might believe that the decision is 
reached per <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam.</i> It is not for a lower court, to question or say that a decision of a higher court was reached <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>.
 That is the privilege the higher court if after reconsidering its 
former decision, it is satisfied that the previous decision, had been 
reached <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In distinguishing between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obiter</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dictum</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per incuriam</i>, the Supreme Court per Iguh J.S.C. had this to say:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“it is indisputable that in the judgment of the court, the legal principle formulated by that court which is necessary<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>in
 the determination of the issues raised in the case, that is to say, the
 binding part of the decision is its ratio decidendi as against the 
remaining parts of the judgement which merely constitute obiter dicta, 
that is to say, what is not necessary for the decision...Where however, 
an obiter dictum<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>in one case 
has been adopted and becomes a ratio decidendi in a later case, such 
obiter dictum will been taken to have acquired the force of a ratio 
decidendi and would therefore become binding...The question whether a 
decision or pronouncement of this court is binding on the court of 
appeal depends on whether that decision or pronouncement is an obiter 
dictum or was made per incuriam. If the pronouncement is a mere obiter 
dictum then, of course it is not binding, but if it was made per 
incuriam, it will nevertheless be binding on the court of appeal in 
accordance with the principle of stare decisis until the error in the 
judgment has been corrected”.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> See Dairo v. U.B.N. Plc. (2007) 16 NWLR (Pt.1059) 99 at 159</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Judicial Precedent</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Judicial
 precedent is legal experience. In ordinary life, people rely on past 
experiences when embarking on any venture. These experiences are nothing
 but precedents. Leaders are always conscious of their actions so as not
 to lay bad precedent. A chef who wants to cook a particular dish and 
wants to get the original taste of that dish, he will do well to follow 
the recipe and the step by step procedure in cooking the dish. It is not
 different with law especially under the Nigerian legal system. In 
effect the concept of judicial precedent is nothing but reliance by a 
judge deciding a case today on the experience of yesterday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
 Nigeria legal system judicial precedent is a decision establishing a 
principle of law that any other judicial body must or may follow when 
called upon to decide a case with similar issues. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Precedents can be binding or persuasive. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Precedent that must be applied or followed is known as <i>binding precedent</i>.
 By definition, decisions of lower courts are not binding on courts 
higher in the hierarchy. Precedents are persuasive when the court is not
 under obligation to follow it.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Persuasive precedents under Nigeria legal system arise out of a number of contexts:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">(a) Decisions of lower courts are not binding on higher courts. They are at best persuasive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">(b) Decisions of the High Court are persuasive authority for later cases in the High Court. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">(c) Recent decisions of the Supreme Court of United Kingdom</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">(c) Decisions of other courts within the Common Law world.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Nigerian
 courts and text book writers use judicial precedents and stare decisis 
inter changeably as if the two are synonyms. See for example <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nigeria-Arab Bank Ltd v. Barri Engineering (Nig) Ltd </b>(1995) 8 NWLR (Pt. 413) 257 at 289, see also Abiola Sanni, Introduction to Nigerian Legal Method,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>page 21. Though in a broad sense they may be so used, but technically they are not the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">A
 judicial precedent may be binding or persuasive as was noted earlier, 
it is when judicial precedent is binding that the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>becomes relevant. Before we go further, it may be apposite to define the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l10 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">STARE</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DECISIS</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Osakue v. Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba </b>(2010) 10 NWLR (Pt.1201) 1 at 34 the Nigerian Supreme Court per Ogbuagu J. S. C. defined <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i> thus:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“Stare decisis means to abide by the <u>former precedents</u>
 where the same points came again in litigation. It pre supposes that 
the law has been solemnly declared and determined in the former case. It
 does preclude the judges of the subordinate courts from changing what 
has been determined. Thus under the doctrine of stare decisis, lower 
courts, are bound by the <u>theory of precedent</u>”. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">From
 what his lordship said, it is clear that stare decisis is the doctrine 
of Nigeria legal system laying an obligation on the courts to stand by 
precedent. Stare decisis is a shortened form of the legal maxim: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare decisis et non quieta movere”</i> meaning to stand by and adhere to decisions and not disturb what is settled. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Basically,
 under the doctrine of stare decisis, the decision of a higher court act
 as binding precedent on a lower court within that same jurisdiction. 
The decision of a court of another jurisdiction only acts as persuasive 
precedent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">To
 further illustrate the difference between the concepts of judicial 
precedent and stare decisis there is need to look at the dictionary 
meaning of the two phrases. In this regard reference will be made to 
Jowitts Dictionary of English law, 2<sup>nd</sup> edition. Concerning precedent the dictionary says:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">‘
 A judicial precedent is a judgment or decision of court of law cited as
 an authority for deciding a similar state of facts in the same manner, 
or on the same principle, or by analogy. The rules of common law and 
equity are contained in precedents established by the courts, that is, 
they have to be arrived at by ascertaining the principle on which those 
cases were decided’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">With regards to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i> it says:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">‘(to strand by things decided, to abide by<u> former precedents</u> where the same points come again in litigation as well as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>to
 keep the scale of justice even and steady and not liable to waiver with
 every judge’s opinion as also because, the law in that case being 
solemnly declared and determined, what before was uncertain and perhaps 
indifferent is now a permanent rule which is not in the breast of any 
subsequent judge to alter or swerve from according to his private 
sentiments, he being sworn to determine, not according to his private 
judgment but according to known laws and customs of the land, not 
delegated to pronounce a new law, but to maintain and expound the old 
one, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jus dicere et non jus dare</i>’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Dais commenting on the same matter said:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“The
 doctrine of precedent in English law is considerable antiquity, while 
that of stare decisis is relatively modern. Judges in the twelfth 
century did listen to citations of earlier cases and were no doubt 
influenced by them in reaching their decisions... But there was never a 
suggestion that they were bound by them, nor do the early writers give 
such indication”. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">See dais on jurisprudence page 163. At page164 he continued:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“When
 considering the birth and continued life of stare decisis it is 
necessary to keep in mind the distinction between it and the broad 
doctrine of precedent.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Adaramola
 on Jurisprudence, discussing the doctrine of stare decisis at page 221 
had to say: “The doctrine of stare decisis concerns the attainment of 
justice through ju</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">dicial</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> precedents.” Funso Adaramola,Jurisprudence, 4<sup>th</sup> ed. LexisNexis Butterworths, Durban, 2008. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Judicial
 precedent as alluded earlier is not unknown to courts of civil law 
jurisdiction, what they do not operate is the doctrine of stare decisis.
 Civil law courts acknowledge the principle of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jurisprudence Constante, </i>which
 is to the effect that though a judge has the right to interpret the way
 he understands it, he should do so in a way that will not cause 
confusion in the system. Jurisprudence constante admonishes the judge to
 decide a case in a way to show cohesion and predictable results. They 
are however not bound to follow past decisions of their own or of a 
higher court for that matter. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The elaborations above clearly show that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>is
 technically different from the concept of judicial precedent even 
though there is an umbilical cord that links them together. One cannot 
be discussed in isolation of the other. It may be said that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i> is part of the broader concept of judicial precedent. The two are not synonymous and cannot be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">THE OPERATION OF <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">STARE</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DECISIS</i> IN NIGERIA </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Under Nigeria legal system once a court a decides matter, the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>
 stipulates that any court which is below that court in the hierarchy of
 courts must follow that previous decision if the facts of the new case 
before it are similar to the facts of the earlier case. Decisions of 
courts of coordinate jurisdiction do not bind a subsequent court of that
 jurisdiction. It must be noted that is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ratio</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decidendi</i> that court is bound to follow, the court is not bound to follow <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obiter</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dictum</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>
 stresses the fact that it is not open to a lower court, to disagree 
with the decision of the higher court on any point even if the decision 
of the higher court was reached <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam.</i> See <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Osakue v. Federal College of Education Asaba</b> (supra).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The legendry Eso, (J. S. C. As he then was) in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Okoniji v. Mudiaga Odge </b>(1985) 10 S. C. 267 at 268, 289 had this to say:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In
 the hierarchy of courts in this country, as in all other free common 
law countries, one thing is clear, however, learned a lower court 
considers itself to be and however, contemptuous of the higher court, 
that lower court is still bound by the decision of the higher court...</i></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I
 hope it will never happen again whereby the Court of Appeal in this 
country or any lower court for that matter would deliberately go against
 the decision of this court and in this case, even to the extent of not 
considering the decision when those of this court were brought to the 
notice of that court. This is the discipline of law. This is what makes 
the law certain and prevents it from being an ass”.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">THE HIERARCHY OF COURTS IN NIGERIA</span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">For the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i> to be meaningful, there must be a well defined judicial hierarchy.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>The courts in Nigeria are stratified in the following order:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Supreme Court</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Court of Appeal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The High Courts (Federal and States)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Magistrates Court</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Other courts include Sharia Court of Appeal, Customary Court of Appeal,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Area Courts, Sharia Courts and Customary Courts. These courts do not adhere to common law doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis. </i>There
 are other specialised courts like National Industrial Court, Investment
 and Securities Tribunal and Court Martial, however for simplicity sake 
these courts will not be considered. But it must be noted that National 
Industrial Court, Investment and Securities Tribunal and Court Martial 
are courts of coordinate jurisdiction with the High Court in the sense 
that appeal from those courts lie to the court of appeal.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"></span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">THE SUPREME COURT</span></b><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Supreme Court is in the apex position<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>in the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria. It derived its existence under the current dispensation via <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Section 230 (1)</b> of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 decision of the Supreme Court binds all other courts in Nigeria. The 
Supreme Court itself articulates the position lucidly in<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Dairo v. U.B.N. Plc. </b>(2007) 16 NWLR (pt. 1059) 99 at 159 thus:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“...
 it is not proper for a lower court to defy the decided authority of a 
higher court otherwise it may border on or amounts to judicial 
impertinence. In the case, the case of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Osho v. Foreign Finance Corporation </b>(1991)
 4 NWLR (Pt. 184) 157 was referred to, to the effect that the legal 
position in this country, it that the Court of Appeal and other courts 
are bound by the decision of this court”. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">CONFLICTING DECISIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
 is not unheard of for the Supreme Court to give conflicting decisions 
on one question of law, though this is most infrequent. This has been a 
controversial issue, and has generated a variety of opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The question lower courts had to contend with, is which of the two conflicting decisions they are to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In G.T.B. Plc. v. Fadco Ind. Ltd. (2007) 7 NWLR (Pt. 1033) 307 at the Nigerian court of Appeal held thus: </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“I
 am being faced with two conflicting decisions of the supreme court of 
Nigeria, one supporting the respondent, the other supporting the 
position of the appellants. I am fully aware of the fact that I am bound
 by the decision of the Supreme Court but it is also the law that in 
this kind of situation I am allowed to choose which to follow between 
the two decisions”.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The controversy was highlighted in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mohammed v. Martins Electronics Company Ltd.</b> (2010) 2 NWLR (Pt. 1179) 473 at 506 as follows:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“In
 Yusuf v. Egbe (1987) 2 NWLR (Pt. 56)341, Kolawole JCA (of Blessed 
Memory) reiterated that this court is bound by its previous decisions 
which has not been overruled by the Supreme Court. Furthermore, that 
this Court of Appeal must accept and apply loyally, the decisions of the
 Supreme Court and where the decisions manifestly conflict, it was his 
opinion that the later decision is binding on the court of Appeal. It 
was also held by Ademola JCA (of blessed memory) that where there are 
two conflicting decisions of a higher court, the lower court is free to 
choose which of the decisions to be followed. See <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adegoke Motors v. Adesanya </b>(1988) 2 NWLR (Pt. 74) 108. Both are decisions of this court-Lagos division delivered on10th February 1987 and 9<sup>th</sup> November 1987 respectively.” </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This controversy seem to have been settled in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Osakue v. Federal College of Education Asaba </b>(supra),
 where the Supreme Court held that where the Court of Appeal is faced 
with two conflicting decisions of the Supreme Court, it must follow the 
later or last. This was emphasised in four different passages in the 
judgment. The court at page 37 per Ogbuagu JSC said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For
 the umpteen time, where there appear to be conflicting judgments of 
this court, the latter or latest, will or should apply and must be 
followed if the circumstances are the same”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">However,
 this case is not without its own internal inconsistency, for at page 36
 the same Hon. Justice of the Supreme Court said:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“Where
 there is no discernable ratio decidendi common to the decisions of a 
superior court and this court had handed down conflicting decisions, the
 lower court or a court of coordinate jurisdiction is free to choose 
between the decisions which appear to it to be correct.”</span></i></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA IS NOT BOUND BY ITS OWN DECISION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Unlike
 the English House of Lords (presently United Kingdom Supreme Court) 
which for many years considered itself bound by its previous decision, 
the Nigeria Supreme Court has never considered itself not free to depart
 from its previous decision. The English House of Lords was not strictly
 bound to always follow its own decision until the case of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">London Tramways v. London County Council</b>
 (1898) AC 375. After this case, once the law Lords had given a decision
 on a point of law, the matter was closed unless and until parliament 
made a change by statute. This is the strictest form of the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This was changed by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Practice Statement [Judicial Precedent] </b>1966 1 WLR 1234, where it was said that though the doctrine of being bound had many commendable points: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“too
 rigid adherence to precedent may lead to injustice in a particular case
 and also unduly restrict the proper development of the law”</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">However,
 the situations in which the House of Lords will overrule itself are 
rare. The Practice Statement stated that the Lords would be especially 
reluctant to overrule themselves in criminal cases because of the vital 
need of certainty in that area of law. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In Food Corp. Of India v. Antclizo<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Shipping Co.</b> (1988) 2 All ER 513, Lord Goff stated that the House of Lords would not depart from a previous House of Lords decision unless:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span>i.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It felt free to depart from both the reasoning and the decision of the earlier case and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span>ii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Such a review would affect the resolution of the actual case before them and not be of mere academic interest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In
 contrast with to the House of Lords, the Judicial Committee of the 
Privy Council, (the predecessor to the Nigerian Supreme Court) has in 
its advisory capacity to the Sovereign<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>of the British Empire since 19<sup>th</sup>
 century given repeated expression to the fact that it will not be bound
 by the erroneous previous of the court and that for good and compelling
 reason it will depart from such decisions and overrule them in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span>the interest of justice and the law. These previous decisions must be clearly shown to be:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span>i.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Vehicles of injustice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span>ii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">  </span>iii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Clearly erroneous in law. See <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Odi v. Osafile</b> (1985) 1 NWLR (Pt. 1) 7 at 34, 35.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 Nigerian Supreme Court is entitled to depart from or overrule its 
previous decisions in the interest of justice, where the decisions are 
shown to be:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span>i.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Vehicles of injustice;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span>ii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">  </span>iii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Clearly erroneous in law;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span>iv.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Impeding the proper development of the law;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span>v.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Having result which are unjust, undesirable or contrary to public policy;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span>vi.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution; or</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">vii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Capable of fettering the exercise of judicial discretion by a court. See <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adisa v. Oyinwola</b> (2000) 10 NWLR (Pt. 674) 116</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 Nigerian Supreme Court has in a number of cases overruled its earlier 
decision. In Johnson v. Lawanson (1971) 1 All NLR. 57, the Supreme Court
 overruled the Privy Council decision of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mauria Gaulin Ltd v. Wahab Atanda Aminu </b>(Appeal No. 17of 1957 decided on 24/7/58); in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Amudipe v. Arijodi</b> (1978) 2 LRN 128 it overruled its decision on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Babajide v. Aisa</b> (1966) 1 All NLR 254; in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oduola v. Coker</b> (1981) 5 S.C. 197 it overruled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mobil Oil Nigeria Ltd v. Abolade Coker </b>(1975) 3 S. C. 175.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Supreme Court also in<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Bucknor-Maclean v. Inlaks Ltd. </b>(1980) 8/11 S.C. 1 overruled shell <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">B.P. Co. Ltd. v. Jammal Engineering Co. Nig Ltd.</b> (1974) 1 All NLR (Pt.2) 107; in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Egboghonome v. State </b>(1993) 7 NWLR (Pt.306) 383, the court overruled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oladejo v. State </b>(1987) 3 NWLR (Pt. 61) 419 and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Asanya v. State</b> (1991) 3 NWLR (Pt. 180) 422. Also the court in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adisa v. Oyinwola</b> (2000) 10 NWLR (Pt. 674) 116 overruled its decision in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oyeniran v. Egbetola</b> (1997) 5 NWLR (504) 122.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">TYPES OF OVERRULING</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There
 two types of overruling: retrospective and prospective overruling. When
 a court overrules a decision the effect may retrospective or 
prospective, but most times it is both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In overruling a decision the court may adopt one of three different approaches:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l13 level1 lfo6; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span>i.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 court may declare that the law has always been (x) but we did not know 
it until now. The effect is that the decision will operate both 
retrospectively and prospectively. In <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Westminster Bank Plc. v. Spectrum Plus Limited </b>[2005] 3 WLR 58,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>popularly called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In Re Spectrum Plus Ltd (In Liquidation)</b>, Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead explained the position thus at [7] and [8]:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“A
 court ruling which changes the law from what it was previously thought 
to be operates retrospectively as well as prospectively. The ruling will
 have a retrospective effect so far as the parties to the particular 
dispute are concerned, as occurred with the manufacturer of the ginger 
beer in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Donoghue v Stevenson</span></b>
 [1932] AC 562. When Mr Stevenson manufactured and bottled and sold his 
ginger beer the law on manufacturers' liability as generally understood 
may have been as stated by the majority of the Second Division of the 
Court of Session and the minority of their Lordships in that case. But 
in the claim Ms Donoghue brought against Mr Stevenson his legal 
obligations fell to be decided in accordance with Lord Atkin's famous 
statements. Further, because of the doctrine of precedent the same would
 be true of everyone else whose case thereafter came before a court. 
Their rights and obligations would be decided according to the law as 
enunciated by the majority of the House of Lords in that case even 
though the relevant events occurred before that decision was given.</span></i></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">People
 generally conduct their affairs on the basis of what they understand 
the law to be. This 'retrospective' effect of a change in the law of 
this nature can have disruptive and seemingly unfair consequences.” </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo6; mso-text-indent-alt: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">ii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">                        </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 court may say that the law is [x] but, because everyone has organised 
their affairs until now on the basis that the law was [y], the new view 
of the law only affects events occurring after the decision. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This approach </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">was popular in the United states of American courts </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">for a while. The law is </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">said
 to ‘change’ only from that decision in the case onwards. Prospective 
overruling (sometimes described as ‘non-retroactive overruling) is 
therefore a judicial tool fashioned to mitigate the adverse consequences
 of making major changes in the law</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">they are designed not to have the normal retrospective effect of judicial decisions.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> This is what Lord Nicholls had to say</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> at [9]</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">:</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">“In
 its simplest form prospective overruling involves a court giving a 
ruling of the character sought by the bank in the present case. 
Overruling of this simple or 'pure' type has the effect that the court 
ruling has an exclusively prospective effect. The ruling applies only to
 transactions or happenings occurring after the date of the court 
decision. All transactions entered into, or events occurring, before 
that date continue to be governed by the law as it was conceived to be 
before the court gave its ruling.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">It
 follows that the parties in that case will not be affected by the 
decision. But their relationship will be guided by the law as it was 
thought to be by the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>time they entered the transactions that gave rise to the law suit.</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo6; mso-text-indent-alt: -18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">  </span>iii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">            </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The court may come up with<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>variations of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>retrospective and prospective overruling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>For
 instance, the decision might be held to be prospective as regards 
everyone not involved in the case but retrospective in its effect as 
between the parties to the case in which the ruling is given. Or the 
ruling may be prospective as regards everyone not involved in the case 
but retrospective as between the parties in the case in which the ruling
 was given and also as between the parties in any other cases already 
pending before the courts. Lord Nicholls also noted at [10]:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“Other
 forms of prospective overruling are more limited and 'selective' in 
their departure from the normal effect of court decisions. The ruling in
 its operation may be prospective and, additionally, retrospective in 
its effect as between the parties to the case in which the ruling is 
given. Or the ruling may be prospective and, additionally, retrospective
 as between the parties in the case in which the ruling was given and 
also as between the parties in any other cases already pending before 
the courts.” </span></i></div>
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">THE NIGERIAN COURT OF APPEAL </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This is the court next to the Supreme Court in the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria. It was established by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Section<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>237 </b>of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. The decisions of this court are of utmost importance because of the number of cases<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>it
 handles and the effect of blocked appeals (some cases like Governorship
 Election Petition stops at the Court of Appeal). The Court of Appeal is
 bound by the decision of the Supreme Court even it if it was given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam.</i>
 And all other courts below the Court of Appeal must loyally abide by 
the decision of the court, this includes the High Courts (Federal and 
States), the Magistrates Court. </span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The vexed issue has been not whether the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>court
 of appeal is bound by its previous decisions but where there are 
conflicting decisions of that court which will it follow. The basic rule
 is that it is bound by its previous decision. Three exceptions were, 
however, given in the leading case of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Young v. Bristol Aeroplane Co. Ltd </b>[1944] KB 718, 723 by Lord Greene MR. thus:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">The Court of Appeal can choose between its own conflicting decisions</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Such
 conflict should not arise in an ideal world, but it does, and Lord 
Greene MR did not explore which of the conflicting decisions should be 
followed. Academic and judicial debate over the years tended to indicate
 that a later Court of Appeal faced with this problem would probably be 
free to decide which authority it should follow, with the result that 
the one not chosen is overruled. Adaramola on jurisprudence is of the 
view that the earlier decision should be followed on the ground that the
 later court was wrong not to have followed the earlier decision. See 
page 234. The present writer shares the same view, and if it is argued 
that the decision was given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>, the simple answer, is as we shall presently see, that the court of appeal is not bound by its decision given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 situation in which the Court of Appeal will give conflicting decisions 
on an issue can occur for a number of reasons; the most usual ones are:</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">ü<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It
 should be noted that the Court of Appeal of Nigeria is divided into 
divisions sitting in different locations. These divisions hear cases 
simultaneously and these cases may involve similar legal principles. The
 various divisions may reach different conclusions which later appear 
contradictory.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">ü<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It
 is also possible that some earlier cases may not have been reported by 
the time another panel or division is considering a case and where it 
has been reported, it may not have been cited before the subsequent 
court, so the decision is given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo7; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">ü<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Equally,
 one panel of the court may distinguish an earlier case from the one it 
is handling and consider them distinguishable for one reason or another 
while another may think they are not distinguishable and should be 
followed.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     <span style="color: black;">  </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">The
 Nigerian Court of Appeal must refuse to follow its own decision which 
though has not been expressly overruled by the Supreme Court but which 
in its opinion cannot stand with a decision of the Supreme Court.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">The Nigerian Court of Appeal is not bound by its own decisions found to have been made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam.</i></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It should be noted that the Nigerian Court of Appeal will ordinarily adhere<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>strictly to the principle of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>,
 however, in criminal matters because the liberty of a citizen is 
involved the court will be more ready not to follow its decision which 
it considers to be wrong. In the application of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i> the court will be less rigid when the issue involved is criminal in nature. See<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> R v. Taylor</b> (1950) 2 K.B. 368, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">R. v. Newsome</b> [1970] 2 Q.B. 711 and also the decision West African Court of Appeal the predecessor to the Court of Appeal in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Motayo v. Commissioner of Police</b> (1950) 13 W.A.C.A. 114.</span></div>
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">THE HIGH COURT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In
 Nigeria, each state of the federation has a High Court, also there is a
 High Court for the Federal Capital Territory and another High Court for
 the Federation. The Federal High Court is established by section 249 
(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, it is a court of specific 
jurisdiction, in the sense that matters that it can handle are 
enumerated in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>section<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>251
 0f the constitution. The High Court of various states and the High 
Court of the Federal Capital Territory cannot be said to have unlimited 
jurisdiction but they are by far the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>trial court with the widest jurisdiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
 High Courts are bound by the decision of the Supreme Court and the 
Court of Appeal. All the High Courts in Nigeria are courts of coordinate
 jurisdiction. Being courts of coordinate jurisdiction they are not 
bound by the decision of one another, though such decisions are of 
strong persuasive precedent. See <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barclays Bank v. Hassan</b>
 (1950) WNLR 293. The Magistrates’ Courts are bound by the decision of 
the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court in the normal 
way.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">DISTINGUISHING A CASE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">A
 previous case is only binding in a later case if the legal principle 
involved is the same and the facts are similar. Distinguishing cases 
means pointing out an essential difference between<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>the
 present case and the earlier one. See Abiola Sanni, Introduction to 
Legal Method page 186. Such differences are mostly of facts and not of 
law, though some times the law applicable might be the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>distinguishing
 factor. It is a device used by courts when they are not inclined to 
follow a particular precedent. What is reasonably distinguishable 
depends on the particular cases and the particular court – some judges 
are more inclined to distinguish disliked precedents than others. In <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jones v. Secretary of State for Social Services</b> [1972] AC 944, Lord Reid<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>stated:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“It
 is notorious that where an existing decision is disapproved but cannot 
be overruled courts tend to distinguish it on inadequate grounds. I do 
not think that they act wrongly in so doing, they are adopting the less 
bad of the only alternatives open to them. But this is bound to lead to 
uncertainty...”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Glanville
 Williams suggests that there are two kinds of "distinguishing": 
restrictive and non-restrictive and states (See Learning the law, sweet 
and Maxwell 11<sup>th</sup> ed., 1982, p.175)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Non-restrictive distinguishing occurs where a court accepts the expressed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ratio</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decidendi</i> of the earlier case, and does not seek to curtail it, but finds that the case before it does not fall within this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ratio</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decidendi</i> because of some material difference of fact. Restrictive distinguishing cuts down the expressed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ratio</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decidendi</i>
 of the earlier case by treating as material to the earlier decision 
some fact, present in the earlier case, which the earlier court regarded
 as immaterial. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
An example of restrictive distinguishing may be noted in the House of Lords decision in <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Peabody Fund</span></b></em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> v. <em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Sir Lindsay Parkinson Ltd.</span></em>, </b>[1984] 2 W.L.R. 953 (H.L.) where the Court restricted the application of <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Anns</span></b></em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> v. <em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Merton London Borough</span></em>,</b> [1978] A.C. 728 (H.L.). The <em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Anns</span></em>
 case is cited as authority for the proposition that a municipality may 
be liable in negligence where it fails to properly inspect building 
plans. In the <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Peabody</span></b></em><em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fund</b></span></em>
 case, by defining the duty of the municipality as being owed to owners 
and occupiers threatened with the possibility of injury to safety or 
health, the House of Lords specified and made less general, the scope of
 the municipality's responsibility as it had been defined in the <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Anns</span></b></em>
 case. In the result, the Court did not allow a claim by the developer 
of a housing project who suffered damages when the municipality's 
drainage inspector failed to point out that the drainage system was not 
being installed in accordance with the approved design. Thus, in <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Peabody</span></b></em><em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fund</b></span></em>
 the element of restrictive distinguishing is the introduction of the 
requirement of the possibility of injury to safety or health. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">An example of non-restrictive distinguishing may be noted in the Supreme Court of Canada decision in <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Town of the Pas <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">v.<em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";"> Porky Packers Ltd.</span></em></b> (1976), 65 D.L.R. 1 (S.C.C.). In this case, the Court noted that the authority of <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Hedley Byrne  Co. Ltd. </span></b></em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">v.<em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";"> Heller</span></em></b>
 [1963] 2 All E.R. 575 required the plaintiff in a negligent 
misrepresentation claim to show that he relied on the skill and judgment
 of the party from whom he had received incorrect information. In the <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Porky Packers</span></b></em>
 case the plaintiff had received incorrect zoning advice from municipal 
officials but the plaintiff's representative was a former municipal 
council member who had more expertise in planning matters than the 
officials. In these circumstances, there could be no reliance and the 
doctrine or authority of <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Hedley</span></b></em><em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Byrne</b></span></em>
 by its own criteria was not available. The plaintiff's claim was 
dismissed. The material fact of the plaintiff's lack of reliance 
provided the element for non-restrictive distinguishing of <em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Hedley</span></b></em><em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Byrne</b></span></em>.</span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">   </span></span></span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">SUPER <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Decisis</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In 1976, </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Posner" title="Richard Posner"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Richard Posner</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">
 and William Landes coined the term "super-precedent," in an article 
they wrote about testing theories of precedent by counting citations. 
See Landes, William & Posner, Richard. “Legal Precedent: A 
Theoretical and Empirical Analysis”, 19 <i>Journal of Law and Economics</i>
 249, 251 (1976). Posner and Landes used this term to describe the 
influential effect of a cited decision. The term "super-precedent" later
 became associated with different issue: the difficulty of overturning a
 decision. Super-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>
 is a term used for important precedent that is resistant or immune from
 being overturned, without regard to whether correctly decided in the 
first place. </span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Under Nigeria legal ambience some precedents have acquire the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>quality of super <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>. Examples include: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Madukolu v. Nkemdilim </b>(1962) 2 SCNLR 341on issue of jurisdiction, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idundun v. Okumagba </b>(1976) 10 NSCC 446 on proof of title to land, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Akintemi</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">v</b>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Onwumechili</b> (1985) 1 NWLR (Pt.1) 68 on the impregnable jurisdiction of a University to determine who to award its degree, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Falobi v. Falobi </b>(1979) 9 & 10 SC 1 on how to resolve conflict in affidavit evidence, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pharmacists Board of Nigeria v. Adegbesote </b>(1986) 3 NWLR<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>(Pt. 44) 707 on withholding of evisence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">    </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">THE PROS AND CONS OF STARE DECISIS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">There has been a lot of argument on the merits and demerits of the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>. Those opposing the doctrine rely on the following points:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Its rigidity may lead to injustice in some particular cases. Lord Denning, the former Master of the Rolls has argued:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">“If
 lawyers hold to their precedents too closely, forgetful of the 
fundamental principles of truth and justice which they should serve, 
they may find the whole edifice comes tumbling down about them. Just as 
the scientist seeks for truth, so the lawyer should seek for justice. 
Just as the scientist takes his instances and from them builds up his 
general propositions, so the lawyer should take his precedents and from 
them build up his general principles. Just as the propositions of the 
scientist fail to be modified when shown not to fit all instances, or 
even discarded when shown in error, so the principles of the lawyer 
should be modified when found to be unsuited to the times or discarded 
when found to work injustice”. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">See The Rt. Hon. Lord Denning, <i>The Discipline of the Law</i> (London: Butterworths, 1979) at 292.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l11 level1 lfo13; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Also
 due to its rigidity it has the tendency of perpetuating bad precedents.
 The argument is that ‘treating a party wrongly is no justification for 
treating another so.’ Where a decision of the Supreme Court is decided <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incuriam</i>, lower courts are still bound to follow it, notwithstanding the fact that it will lead to injustice.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo12; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Another
 argument against the doctrine is that it is undemocratic, in the sense 
that it allows an ‘undemocratic’ (better put unelected) body to usurp 
the function of the parliament, i.e. the function of law making. It is 
beyond doubt that judges do make law for “the law is what the judge say 
it is...”</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo11; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Difficulties
 can arise in deciding what the ratio decidendi is, the judge may give 
multiple reasons for his decision. Also in the appellate courts the 
justices do give separate judgments thereby compounding the problem of 
determining the ratio.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo10; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">There
 are too many precedents and they are growing daily, surfing through 
these cases can be time consuming and very complex for lawyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">However, the advocates for retention<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>of the doctrine of stare decisis are not without their own argument. Some of their arguments include:</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo9; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">It promotes certainty in law. By looking at existing precedent the lawyer can reasonably advise his client.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo9; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Another
 argument is that is that it minimises the incident of bias. The 
doctrine restrains judges from exhibiting partiality by insisting that 
they decide like cases alike, it thereby promote legal equality between 
parties.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo9; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">       </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">It also makes for uniformity, for like cases will be decided alike. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Benjamin Cardozo stated:</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">‘It
 will not do to decide the same question one way between one set of 
litigants and the opposite way between another. "If a group of cases 
involves the same point, the parties expect the same decision. It would 
be a gross injustice to decide alternate cases on opposite principles. 
If a case was decided against me yesterday when I was a defendant, I 
shall look for the same judgment today if I am plaintiff. To decide 
differently would raise a feeling of resentment and wrong in my breast; 
it would be an infringement, material and moral, of my rights."<sup> </sup>Adherence
 to precedent must then be the rule rather than the exception if 
litigants are to have faith in the even-handed administration of justice
 in the courts.’ See </span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Benjamin N. Cardozo, <i>The Nature of the Judicial Process</i> (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1921) at 33-34<a href="http://nigerialaw.blogspot.com.ng/" name="6"></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Conclusion </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The concept of Judicial Precedent and the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>
 might not be perfect in its operation, but its usefulness far outweighs
 whatever imperfection it might possess. The object of any principle of 
law is the attainment justice, and so it is with the doctrine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stare</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decisis</i>, for it possesses internal mechanism to correct whatever mistakes past decisions might have.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Source: <a href="http://nigerialaw.blogspot.com.ng/">http://nigerialaw.blogspot.com.ng/ </a></span><br />
<br />

Understanding The Concept Of Judicial Precedent And The Doctrine Of Stare Decisis Under The Nigerian Legal System.

Introduction N igerian legal system is one of the legal systems based on common law. Under the common law system,...

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Understanding The Concept Of Judicial Precedent And The Doctrine Of Stare Decisis Under The Nigerian Legal System.

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Understanding The Concept Of Judicial Precedent And The Doctrine Of Stare Decisis Under The Nigerian Legal System.