Clinical Legal Education and Cultural Relativism – The Realities in the 21st Century

‘Ubi jus ibi remedium’ is a Latin maxim that means ‘where there is a wrong, there is a remedy’. Human rights are expected to be universal and applicable to every human being. In reality not all rights guaranteed in the International Instruments are applicable in some African societies with different culture, religion and norms. Culture shapes the identity of people generally in Africa and elsewhere thus the issue of Cultural Relativism is germane to the very existence of people of African descent. International Convention and Instruments provide for Women’ Rights generally and particularly the Right to life.The experience in the Women’s Law Clinic (the clinic) of the University of Ibaden has shown the imbalance between Clinical Legal Education (CLE) and the realities in practice. This paper considers the cultural practices in some societies in Nigeria, the techniques of CLE adopted in the clinic and the challenges of the 21st Century

Perception of Nigerian tobacco control law by consumers of tobacco products in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Tobacco use in any form has been identified for decades as a source of diseases and avoidable deaths all over the world. Cognizant of this fact, the Federal Government of Nigeria has, over the years, put in place successive laws to control the consumption of tobacco products. This study surveyed the awareness of tobacco control law by consumers of tobacco products; reasons for tobacco consumption;  knowledge of harmful effects of tobacco consumption on smokers; adverse effects on non-voluntary smokers; willingness to quit smoking; and reasons for unwillingness to quit. Neutralization and Rational Action theories were used as the basis for the study while survey  research design was adopted. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select the eight wards in the two communities while simple random sampling technique was used to select four hundred and ninety-four participants for the study. The respondents completed standardised questionnaire which measured the constructs under study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data collected. Among other findings, 103 (15%) of the respondents are aware that cigarette smoking can cause cancer while 85 (13%) are aware that nonvoluntary smokers could develop heart diseases. A good number of the respondents 193 (41%) opined that tobacco warning messages are exaggerated; 209 (45%) – that the messages are distorted; 212 (45%) that the messages are boring. From the totality of the opinions expressed by respondents on the various issues covered by this study, it is obvious that many consumers of tobacco products are not aware of the measures put in place to curtail the consumption of tobacco products. To achieve the goal of safeguarding public health through tobacco smoking control, the paper recommends effective enforcement by the regulatory agencies and intensive awareness creation to educate members of the public on the health risks associated with consumption and exposure to tobacco products

Collaborating with other Disciplines: Best Practice For Legal Clinics - A Case Study of the Women’s Law Clinic, University of Ibadan Nigeria

There is a gradual shift in research towards a multi-disciplinary approach. This paradigm move is in compliance with globalization. According to Carla Mariano, the human service professions are facing problems so complex that no one discipline can possibly respond to them effectively. It has been noted that many clients in the Women’s Law Clinic (WLC) of the University of Ibadan not only have problems tagged as legal, but problems closely related to other disciplines such as psychology, sociology, medicine, counselling and social works. It was therefore so obvious that the clinic was not an island; it could not exist all alone and effectively find a holistic solution to the all embracing problems presented by the clients. The clinic therefore partnered with other departments/units to achieve its goals