The Death Row Phenomenon: A Prohibition Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Several debates on the legitimacy, constitutionality, and acceptability of the death penalty have arisen throughout the years. The death row phenomenon refers to the psychological effects on prisoners of being on death row for a prolonged period while awaiting an imminent execution under harsh conditions of confinement. Having been declared a violation of a customary norm of international law by several international tribunals and national courts, this Article explores the possibility of the death row phenomenon, as a legal concept, becoming widely accepted and ultimately preventing the execution of another category of offenders. The existence of a lack of judicial consensus arising from different standards set by these courts in the determination of what constitutes delay could be an obstacle to this development. This Article suggests that if pursued diligently, the death row phenomenon could become universally accepted as an unacceptable practice and a standard could be set under international law which would become binding upon national courts

Expanding the frontiers of Nigerian copyright laws in the age of social media

The social media is an avenue which promotes intellectual creativity and a minefield of ideas which can be deployed into important works. The Copyright Act (Cap C28, LFN 2004), lists the works which are eligible for copyright protection. Works in digital format may or may not fit into these protected categories. Multimedia works obscure the clear cut distinction of categories of works as they combine works of different kinds. They are also not static as they evolve with technology. It has been recommended that the different categories of works be protected according to their distinct features. We opine that this is untidy and does not make for uniformity. Also, the concept of fixation (on a stable material or medium) seems difficult to sustain as a pre-requisite for the qualification of a creation as a copyright work since intangibility and a transitory nature are common features of works placed on the internet. Sequel to the above, it is imperative to fix certain duties on online service providers just like other countries have done; duty to give notice of illegal activities and duty of identification of infringers upon request of the investigative authorities. Infringers should also be made to account for profits while the infringing contents were up. Finally, due to the potential for commercial exploitation of user- generated contents on social media sites, they should use effective content identification technology to eliminate from their services all infringing user generated contents.Keywords: Copyright, Multimedia, Fixation, User- Generated Content, Social Media, Internet, Online Service Provider

Corporate personality in company jurisprudence: Divergences in theoretical perspectives

Theories in company law are in no small measure great each trying to explain the corporate personality. These involve the fiction, concession, real entity, nexus-of-contract, aggregate and corporate social responsibility theories, inter alia. In this essay, these theories are viewed through the prism of critical analysis. Following the contradicting views arising from the theories, this essay concludes that corporate law theories cannot be determinate, but nevertheless, significant in terms of context and convention.Keywords: Corporate law, Law theories, Corporate Personality, Divergence

Biogeochemical Evaluation of Major Streams along the Eastern Flank of Mount Cameroon: Implications for Water Quality

The Eastern flank of Mt Cameroon constitutes one of the richest drainage systems in the world. However, the surface waters on which the surrounding population depends, continues to witness pollution from anthropogenic and in some cases, natural phenomena. The major objective of this study was to conduct a biogeochemical evaluation on the quality of major surface waters (streams, rivers) to ascertain their suitability for human consumption, recreation and for the suste-nance of their aquatic ecosystems. 9 water samples were collected and analyzed from 6 major streams and rivers running through heavily populated areas at the upstream and downstream. With the use of Rockwork software, multivariate statistical techniques were employed to group samples into hydrochemical facies in order to identify potential pollution sources. The results reveal a decreasing order of magnitude for cations: Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+. Meanwhile the anions the trend reveals a decreasing order as follows: HCO3- >> Cl- > NO3- > SO42-. The main water types of the area are NaK- HCO3 and CaMg- HCO3-. While most of the samples have trace metal concentrations well below the WHO guidelines for drinking water, the Stone Quarters Stream (STQ) shows high concentrations of trace elements Fe, Mn and Al from geogenic sources. Most of the samples revealed generally low concentrations for trace metals as the total coliform counts exceeded the WHO guideline of zero (CFU)/100 mL. Rock-water reactions which leads to chem-ical weathering of silicates and human (anthropogenic) pollution which engenders microbial con-tamination are respectively the main culprits of surface water contamination. Most of the waters in their current state, are unfit for human consumption, recreation and ecological sustenance while still safe for irrigation with the exception of the STQ which appears unsuitably hazardous. The study further proposes institutional and technological remedies through which the problem can be addressed and mitigated such as effective stakeholder coordination, improved community awareness and waste collection processes, monitoring and enforcement, allocation of funds to-wards innovative solutions, expansion of sewage and water treatment facilities, water boiling and chlorination, and the provision of water filters. Key words: Water quality, anthropogenic, contamination, pollution, trace elements, nutrients

Analysis of Line Outage Detection in Nigeria 330kV Transmission Lines using Phasor Measurement Units

In this work, an analysis of line outage detection in Nigeria 330kV transmission lines using Phasor Measurement Units was presented. This requires collection and analysis of the data obtained from Transmission Company of Nigeria with the aid of PSAT 2.10.1 / MATLAB SIMULINK using Newton-Raphson power flow algorithm and also to determine the effectiveness of PMU when introduced in our power system network. 12 buses and 3 Generators system were considered for the studied. This was achieved by collecting relevant transmission parameters for 330kV line and was simulated on PSAT 2.10.1 and MATLAB 2015a using Newton-Raphson power flow algorithm. The work involved an offline and online analysis. For the offline analysis the admittance / impedance matrix for Y-bus and bus voltage for pre-outage was obtained via the power flow analysis and change in impedance for the lines were calculated. These values were further normalised in order to reduce the value to a row echelon form. Then for the online analysis; the change in phase angle from the Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) online simulation for pre-outage and also post-outage was calculated and a normalised column matrix was gotten. Finally, the effectiveness of the line outage detection was graphically represented using MATLAB software to plot the values of the normalised values of the offline and online analysis; i.e., by comparing the normalised form of the offline and online values. These results clearly show that PMUs gives an accurate monitoring and total observability when introduced in Nigeria power system

Combating the Scourge of Security Challenges in Nigeria through Religious Education for Sustainable National Development

Insecurity is the cankerworm that is eating deep into the fabric of this nation. It is a national problem with certain destructive tendencies, hence the need for the enthronement of religious education to save the nation from destruction. Religion, which teaches morality, plays a vital role in the social lives of individuals and society at large. This is because it deals with values, behaviours and attitude exhibited and encouraged by members of the society which enhances national development. Therefore, religion is essential for curbing insecurity because security challenge is always accompanied with tension and  anxiety which hinder development. The paper revealed that insecurity is the product of moral decadence in the society, because lack of moral values in the lives of individuals lead to all the vices that result to insecurity in Nigeria. Therefore, government should lay more emphasis on the teaching of religious education at all levels of education in order to inculcate good morals into the youths, curb insecurity in the society and enhance national development. Employment opportunities should be created so as to eradicate poverty, since a hungry man is an angry man. Keywords: Security Challenges, Religious Education, Sustainable National Developmen

Non-adherence of MNOCs to corporate obligations: a review of litigation from the Niger Delta.

Multinational oil companies (MNOCs) claim that they have several corporate obligations to protect human rights and the environment in which they operate, and to resolve with local communities any disputes arising from their operations in the shortest possible time. However, the combative approach by MNOCs in recent transnational human rights and environmental litigations from the Niger Delta undermines these obligations, because they continually deny, delay and derail justice for the local communities. The central question is whether there is a conflict between the portrayal of these companies' positions before the courts and the portrayal of their positions in their corporate obligations (e.g. sustainability reports, securities filings, court filings, etc.), in terms of their approach toward the local communities in which they operate. This thesis investigates how MNOCs derail human rights and environmental litigations from the Niger Delta. Previous work pays little or no attention to how litigations are affected by the non-adherence of MNOC's to their corporate obligations regarding human rights and the environment. Legal frameworks to address derailments in litigations are merely suggested at the international levels and lack adequate legal instruments (e.g. constitutional, legislative and regulatory) at the national levels. This thesis adopts a combination of doctrinal research and comparative analysis methodology to address the derailments in litigations arising from the Niger Delta. Firstly, we review seven transnational human rights and environmental litigations from the Niger Delta to evaluate how the non-adherence of MNOCs to their corporate obligations affects litigations. Secondly, we investigate the mechanisms used by MNOC to derail human rights and environmental litigations. Thirdly, we develop a legal framework and recommendations for addressing derailments in litigations in the Niger Delta. This research suggests that an appropriate level of engagement with stakeholders during litigations will improve human rights and environmental protection in partnerships with local governments, NGOs and local communities

Corporate Governance Structure and Institutional Investment: Evidence from a Developing Country

In recent times, the corporate governance structure debate has tended to expand the objective of business beyond the maximization of shareholders’ wealth to include discharge of duty to the society. This study examines the influence of corporate governance structure and institutional investment of 32 listed companies on the NSE, covering the period of 2006-2010. The postulated hypotheses were tested, using multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. The empirical results showed no significant influence between corporate governance and institutional investors. Rather, institutional investors exert a significant and, positive influence on corporate governance structure. The studies advocate that given more attention to the large institutional investment, since there is a positive relationship between corporate governance structure and the whole number of institutional investors. And a negative influence between corporate governance structure and volume of institutional investors. To have better monitoring by large institutional investors, they should set up board of investee companies in order to have wider bird’s view image the capital market authority and NSE should set regulations that prevent a percentage holding of share in the companies to protect the control by few institutional investors. The study also recommends further investigations into the influence of corporate governance structure and institutional investors, using larger sample size, covering more years, and including particularly the banking sectors that has witnessed major reforms since 2005 and plays a critical role in the economic development of Nigeria

The Aggregate Technology And Contractionary Effects: An Empirical Estimation

Two identifying techniques were used to examine the effects on employment (or hours worked) following a technological innovation at the aggregate level in the United Kingdom’s (U.K) economy for the period 1970-2007. In addition, special attention was given to the treatment and/or the definition of hours worked, particularly the debate on level and first differenced hours. Thus, in primarily utilizing the Bank of England dataset, no significant evidence of contractionary effects in the U.K private business economy was found, which contrasts with some recent studies based on the USA post-war II private business economy

Understanding Nigeria’s Political Economy and Culture of Underdevelopment

This paper examines the political economy of Nigeria with special focus on the structural and ideological foundation of its underdevelopment. The economy is a dependent capitalist entity; hence the level of its growth and expansion is externally determined and conditioned. This, in itself, is a defining factor of underdevelopment. Then, much of the revenue accruing from productive activities is appropriated and freely repatriated by foreign capital and technology which dominate the economy. This is a critical factor as the free repatriation of capital deprives the domestic economy of investment funds. The state has continued to depend on loans from the states and institutions of the global north for its critical needs, an option that has itself consolidated the dependent status of the state. The critical problem of the state and economy could have been mitigated if the state had been managed by patriotic and public-spirited political elite. The stark reality has been that the ruling political elite are self-serving; hence they appropriate much of the fiscal revenue of the state as emoluments and other rewards for public office-holders. Besides, the ruling elite and the dominant indigenous bourgeoisie in control of the state use it as an apparatus to divert and plunder fiscal revenue by corrupt means. Over the postcolonial period corruption has become so entrenched that it is today a way of public life. The end results have been the continuing underdevelopment of the productive forces and the abysmal inability of the state to address the basic economic and social needs problems of the people. The paper is rounded off with a call for political and radical political action by national patriotic, progressive, and revolutionary forces as it is not in the interest of the corrupt and thieving comprador elite to relinquish their stranglehold on the state and economy