LAW REFORM PROCESS AND PRACTICE IN NIGERIA: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Law reformis the  process of weeding out and replacing the  obsolete and outdated laws within the  legal system in order  to  attune  the  applicable  laws  to  the  prevailing  realities  and  norms in  the  society.Nigerian  Law  Reform Commission,which was established about forty years ago,is the body formally charged with the responsibility for reforming  Nigerian  laws.  But  notwithstanding  its  age  and  mandate,  the  bulk  of  Nigerian  laws  have  remained substantially  out  of  date  and  out  of  touch;  and  this  is  largely  responsible  forthe  apparent  stagnation  in  the socioeconomic  and  political  development  of  Nigeria. This  paper  examined  the  major  challenges  and  obstacles militating  against  progressive  reform  of  Nigerian  laws. The  research  methodology  adopted  by  the  researcher  is purely doctrinal, whereas the approaches employed herein are chiefly analytical, descriptive and prescriptive.This paper found that challenges and obstacles militating against progressive reform of Nigerian laws stem from varying issues ranging from institutional issues through constitutional issues to political and social issues. This paper made a case for a holistic approach in addressing those issuesand in tackling those challenges.