International Law Regime Against Piracy

Customary international law prohibited piracy and treated pirates as enemies of human kind. Pirates were considered to have waged war not just against anyone state but all states. As such, pirates were subject to universal jurisdiction by any state. While the prohibition of piracy could, and was easily stated, the contours of the prohibition, including definition of pirates, were not free from controversy. Besides, pirates were not always universally condemned, but instead were sometimes tolerated and employed by states for their own selfish interests. A more important point, though, is that like the infamous slave trade, piracy was believed to have largely disappeared in modern times or at least to have fallen to levels that did not demand international attention. In fact, this was the reason initial attempts in the twentieth century to introduce a treaty regime against piracy was unsuccessful. The illusion that piracy was eradicated or, at least, reduced was shattered towards the end of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty-first centuries. According to the International Maritime Bureau, a total of 293 incidents of armed robbery and piracy against ships were reported in 2008 and many incidents are thought to go unreported. This marked an increase from the 263 incidents reported in 2007 and from the 239 reported in 2006. Today, the international community is bombarded, almost daily, with news reports of piratical incidents, especially in the waters off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. It must be noted, however, that owing to the chasm between the definitions of piracy under the prevailing international law regime and as understood by the International Chamber of Commerce\u27s International Maritime Bureau, not every incident recorded by the latter would qualify as piracy under the former. Even making allowance for this disparity, it must be acknowledged that the ancient scourge of piracy is back on the rise and international law is taking notice

International Law Regime Against Piracy

Customary international law prohibited piracy and treated pirates as enemies of human kind. Pirates were considered to have waged war not just against anyone state but all states. As such, pirates were subject to universal jurisdiction by any state. While the prohibition of piracy could, and was easily stated, the contours of the prohibition, including definition of pirates, were not free from controversy. Besides, pirates were not always universally condemned, but instead were sometimes tolerated and employed by states for their own selfish interests. A more important point, though, is that like the infamous slave trade, piracy was believed to have largely disappeared in modern times or at least to have fallen to levels that did not demand international attention. In fact, this was the reason initial attempts in the twentieth century to introduce a treaty regime against piracy was unsuccessful. The illusion that piracy was eradicated or, at least, reduced was shattered towards the end of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty-first centuries. According to the International Maritime Bureau, a total of 293 incidents of armed robbery and piracy against ships were reported in 2008 and many incidents are thought to go unreported. This marked an increase from the 263 incidents reported in 2007 and from the 239 reported in 2006. Today, the international community is bombarded, almost daily, with news reports of piratical incidents, especially in the waters off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. It must be noted, however, that owing to the chasm between the definitions of piracy under the prevailing international law regime and as understood by the International Chamber of Commerce\u27s International Maritime Bureau, not every incident recorded by the latter would qualify as piracy under the former. Even making allowance for this disparity, it must be acknowledged that the ancient scourge of piracy is back on the rise and international law is taking notice

Privatization and Foreign Investments in Nigeria

Nigeria\u27s political economy has straddled the ideological divide between socialism and capitalism. The country produces oil,and at some point in its existence, it embarked on robust state involvement in the economy. This was marked by the acquisition, or establishment, of numerous state enterprises. Over the years, the performance of these enterprises was found to be dismal, and as part of the overall reform of the economy, Nigeria has joined the global trend toward reduction indirect state ownership of enterprises. Indeed, it has embarked on massive divestment of state interests in once publicly owned firms. Besides the universal rationale of efficiency, one of the objectives of the privatization exercise in Nigeria is the attraction and retention of foreign investments. This work examines the direct and indirect linkage between the government\u27s divestiture of its interests in firms, on the one hand, and foreign investments in the country ,on the other hand

Privatization and Foreign Investments in Nigeria

Nigeria\u27s political economy has straddled the ideological divide between socialism and capitalism. The country produces oil,and at some point in its existence, it embarked on robust state involvement in the economy. This was marked by the acquisition, or establishment, of numerous state enterprises. Over the years, the performance of these enterprises was found to be dismal, and as part of the overall reform of the economy, Nigeria has joined the global trend toward reduction indirect state ownership of enterprises. Indeed, it has embarked on massive divestment of state interests in once publicly owned firms. Besides the universal rationale of efficiency, one of the objectives of the privatization exercise in Nigeria is the attraction and retention of foreign investments. This work examines the direct and indirect linkage between the government\u27s divestiture of its interests in firms, on the one hand, and foreign investments in the country ,on the other hand

Hearsay Evidence: A Comparison of Two Jurisdictions: United States and Nigeria

Many jurisdictions have detailed rules of evidence which regulate the facts that are admissible in court. The hearsay rule is one such rule which excludes certain evidence. The hearsay rule has roots in an old common law principle and is featured in many jurisdictions today, but has endured heavy criticisms over time. This paper examines the application of the hearsay rule in the United States and in Nigeria. Both are common law countries, however, the United States’ legal system is more advanced than that of Nigeria. This comparison aims to inform and assist current reform efforts in Nigeria

Influence of Peer Victimization on School Attendance among Senior Secondary School Students in Uromi Metropolis

The study investigated the influence of peer victimization on school attendance among senior secondary school students in Uromi metropolis. One research question and hypothesis was raised and formulated respectively to guide the study. Descriptive based on survey method was used as the research design of the study. The research participants were 589 public senior secondary school students drawn by simple random sampling from a population of eleven thousand, seven hundred and seventy (11,770) student in Uromi metropolis. The instruments used in this study were school attendance checklist and an adapted questionnaire titled: “Peer Victimization Questionnaire” with a reliability alpha (α) of 0.86 was completed by participants. Percentages and t-test statistical analysis was used to analyse the research question and test the hypothesis at 0.05 alpha level respectively. The result showed that there is no significant difference between victims and non-victims of drug abuse on their school attendance in the metropolis (p>0.05). The study therefore recommended that school anti-bullying rules and regulations must be strengthened and diligently enforced by the school authorities in the area.Key words: Peer victimization, Bullying, School Attendance, Students, Counsellin