ABSTRACT
In addition to capturing Nigerian history, this chapter explicates the special dynamics of Nigerian colonial history. The chapter also concentrates on Nigeria’s colonial legacy and the impact of the legacy on the rule of law on ordinary citizens, both in the past and the present. Using the major driving forces undergirding the rule of law identified in Chapter 2, the chapter extensively discusses how the confluence of each driver and colonial legacy influences the rule of law and impacts ordinary Nigerians’ lives.
The chapter finds that the rule of law in present-day Nigeria is not flourishing, or at least anemic, for ordinary Nigerians. The existing governing constitution has many adequate provisions that protect ordinary Nigerians against arbitrary rule of law violations. But the constitution-making process for the constitution had the military involved, which compromised the process, and thus cannot be deemed totally legitimate. Nigerian police forces are either corrupt or incapable of sustaining respect for the rule of law. As an institution, corruption, because of its pervasiveness, appears to be a major hindrance in the country’s capacity to sustain a strong rule of law environment. Nevertheless, one bright spot is that the military as a driving force seems, for now, subdued even if its brutal legacy, cultivated during years of colonial and military rule, continues to manifest. The chapter concludes that there are sufficient structures in place to have the rule of law flourish brightly in Nigeria, but Nigerians themselves have to demand it and be willing to act accordingly.
