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- Item2. Right of Nature in Africa: Assessing the Feasibility of Granting Legal personhood to Rivers and Forests(Kampala International University (KIU), 2026-04-02) Collins Ekpenisi; Amos Godfrey Atim; Olawumi Odeyinka-Apantaku; Adelowo Stephen Asonibare; Ntale RogersA global movement has begun to grow, one that argues that nature itself ought to be viewed as an important subject of law and not only an object of mere regulations. This growing idea is often described as granting rights of nature or legal personhood to natural entities, which includes important environmental elements like forests, rivers, and some other components of the ecosystem. Drawing insights from emerging global experience, this study assesses whether granting rights of nature or legal personhood to natural entities across the continent is currently viable and, if so, what the recognition and adoption might entail. The study employs a doctrinal approach, alongside a structured narrative review style and complemented by illustrative case examples, to highlight how significant this notion of legal personhood to natural entities has become worldwide and its implications for Africa. Potential legal, guardianship and institutional challenges in its adoption are highlighted, as well as promising prospects for Africa’s environmental governance if widespread acceptance and recognition of the rights of nature are ever achieved. The study reignites the historical idea that Africa’s pre-colonial legacy was always accustomed to the idea of natural entities bearing a semblance of personhood, and provides recommendations that African states must adopt if the continent is ever to utilise the concept of rights of nature to help address its current environmental challenges, improve accountability, and also, possibly, widen access to environmental justice.
- ItemThe Future of Bali’s Kerauhan Tradition: Legal Pluralism, Reforms, and Conflict Adjudication Challenges(Lembaga Contrarius Indonesia, 2026-02-25) Rahayu Farma Ismelia Mella; Ketut Sukewati Lanang Putra Perbawa; Aidonojie Paul Atagamen; Asonibare Adelowo StephenThis study analyzes the regulation of the kerauhan tradition in Bali within the framework of legal pluralism from a legal anthropological perspective. Balinese customary law conceptualizes kerauhan as a sacred and non-pathological spiritual phenomenon intended to preserve communal harmony and cosmic balance, whereas the national legal system is constructed upon empirical verification and rational causation. This distinction gives rise to a fundamental epistemological divergence between customary and state legal orders. The research applies an empirical juridical method with a qualitative design. It gathers data through in depth interviews with customary leaders, direct observation of ritual practices, and systematic analysis of relevant awig awig provisions. This approach enables a contextual evaluation of how plural legal systems operate in addressing incidents related to kerauhan. The findings indicate that: first, Balinese customary law recognizes and regulates kerauhan as a legitimate sacred mechanism grounded in spiritual authority and communal belief, rather than as a pathological act; second, a structural and epistemological disparity between customary and national law produces legal tension, particularly because customary dispute resolution relies on ritual validation while state institutions require material evidence and objective causation, thereby creating complexity in cases involving bodily injury or property damage; and third, modernization and tourism have commodified kerauhan, transforming it into a public spectacle and digital media content, which gradually reshapes its social meaning and influences generational perceptions. The study concludes that the development of a responsive and integrative pluralistic legal framework is necessary to accommodate indigenous epistemology while ensuring legal certainty, accountability, and substantive justice.
- ItemSTAKEHOLDER THEORY AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA.(Faculty of Law, UNIZIK, 2026-04-11) Asonibare Adelowo Stephen; David Oluwaropo KehindeTraditionally, corporate governance has been centered around shareholder dominance, which prioritizes profit maximization over community return. However, the limitations of this approach are increasingly evident, particularly in emerging economies like Nigeria, where corporate failures, environmental degradation, and social conflicts highlight the need for broader governance rethinking, hence the stakeholder theory. Closely linked to stakeholder theory is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which implements stakeholder-oriented governance. The study argues that sustainable corporate governance cannot be achieved through stakeholder paper approval or discretionary CSR practices. It further argues that although stakeholder interests and CSR are recognized, particularly in the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA), the commitments remain largely symbolic and weakly enforceable, thereby limiting their effectiveness in promoting sustainable corporate standards. Drawing on stakeholder theory, this study evaluates the continued dominance of shareholder-centred governance under the Nigeria’s governance regulatory framework. Using a doctrinal approach, this study examines how regulatory gaps, weak enforcement mechanisms, and Nigeria’s socio-economic context undermine meaningful stakeholder engagement and CSR implementation. It further explores the relevance of ESG principles, Industry 4.0 technologies, among others in strengthening transparency, accountability, and long-term value creation. It concludes that Sustainable corporate governance demands stakeholder inclusion, strong disclosure rules, and ethical leadership.
- ItemThe Adequacy of Nigerian Law in Fostering Industrial Peace through Collective Bargaining(Department of Business and Private Law, KWASU, Malete, 2024) Animashaun, O.O.The interests of the trade unions and management are diametrically opposed, because the success of one party is a cost at the expense of the other party. For instance, if the union succeeds in its agitation and obtains a higher pay package, it reduces the profit posted by the management at the end of the accounting period. However, the management and employees (represented by the unions) must accommodate each other, as one cannot exist without the other. The article elucidates the functions of trade unions and the major causes of industrial disputes between the unions and the management. The article also addresses, using case law and statutes, the legal and industrial relations processes leading to collective bargaining and agreements, and the legal value of the collective agreement. The article found that collective agreements are mere gentlemen’s agreements. The author therefore advocates, among other remedies, the need for the extant laws to be amended in such a way that collective agreement becomes a legally binding document.
- ItemA Legal and Socio-cultural Analysis of the Relationship between Xenophobia and Taxation in South Africa(Depaertment of Business and Private Law, KWASU, Malete, 2024-04-21) Animashaun, O.O. (2024). 1(1) 75-94Xenophobia which refers to morbid hatred of foreigners is prevalent in South Africa, with the special manifestation of violent attacks on black Africans whenever there is any perception of a socio-political problem or infrastructural deficiency. The immigrants are blamed by the locals for relative prevalence of HIV/AIDS, unemployment, housing and electricity shortage and other issues. The article examines the effect of xenophobia on revenue collection in South Africa. It also discusses the adequacy of the legal protection offered immigrants, notwithstanding that they are legal or undocumented migrants, in South Africa, using the doctrinal method. The article found that the protection offered to the immigrants is deficient and that the inadequate provisions in the statutes made the black immigrants vulnerable to xenophobic attacks, which inadvertently affect the tax revenue collected by the state negatively. Further, the article found that the court has been consistently defended the rights of migrants in line with the South Africa Constitution,1996. The article concludes with certain recommendations to prevent xenophobia, in a bid to enhance tax revenue collection in South Africa.