Poverty, human rights and access to justice: Reflections from Nigeria
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Date
2012-03-05
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Academic Journals
Abstract
In Nigeria, poor people are vulnerable to various human rights abuses. Their guaranteed rights under
the Constitution are being infringed on a daily basis and this is exacerbated by persistent denial of
access to justice. The article highlights obstacles that the poor encounters when seeking justice and at
the same time suggests policy responses for overcoming them. Towards this end, the article analyses
the concept of fundamental rights as enshrined in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the impact on the
rights of the poor to access justice. Furthermore, the article evaluates the capabilities of the court’s
system as a whole, as well as the judiciary and argues that unless the judiciary is independent, access
to justice by the poor will continue to be a mirage. The article examines jurisprudence of other
jurisdictions and draws useful inspirations from them to explain why justice is so important for poor
people and introduces a broad range of responses in the areas of legal and institutional reforms.
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Citation
Odeku, Kola, and Sola Animashaun. "Poverty, human rights and access to justice: Reflections from Nigeria." African Journal of Business Management 6.23 (2012): 6754.