Toward Decolonizing Legal Theories of Law and Technology

The necessity of technology for the preservation of sustainable human existence is no longer in doubt. The challenges of climate change owing to the teeming world population against the constantly shrinking resources further justify the necessity for new paradigm of conducting human activities through technology. Good and attractive as the technological-driven new world may be, it has become another platform for the re-invention of colonisation. What used to be the scramble and partitioning of the developing worlds in physical time and space has metamorphosed into a new dimension of scramble and partitioning of the same victims upon borderless globalisation and privatisation. The controllers and actors of the digitized world are the same developed countries that had hitherto subjected the developing counterparts as appendages for exploitation. Virtually all spheres of human endeavours are converted to digital platforms. The legal and justice systems are not exempted. This paper interrogates the new colonisation through technology and the need for decolonisation of the emerging theories of interaction of law and technology (technoprudence), particularly, considering three levels of colonisation. The three levels are: primary colonisation (perpetuated by the West and Developed Allies), secondary colonisation (driven by the Neo-Colonialists and their puppets), and tertiary colonisation (technology platform owners). The paper recommends decolonisation of the three levels for the realisation of a world of diversity, inclusion and justice

Rethinking Pre-Crime Surveillance versus Privacy in an Increasingly Insecure World: Imperative Expediency

Till date the United States of America has not overcome the 9/11 shock despite her efficient police and intelligence network. Nigerians would have perhaps saved the horror of the Boko Haram kidnap of the 276 innocent school girls in Maiduguri. Australians in Sydney would perhaps have prevented the death of two citizens in the hand of a man with known history of violence and crime at "the siege in Martin Place" had proper pre-emptive measures been taken. Less than 24 hours to that of Sydney Pakistan suffered its most horrifying attack in the hands of the Pakistan Taliban, causing a massacre of about 126 innocent children. Next, France became the victim. Some world leaders gathered to conduct a solidarity march and protest against terrorism. The clamour among scholars who hold fastidiously to the preservation of privacy against the quest for crime prevention surveillance in an insecure world today may be very rational and worthy of merits. But is it expedient? It appears the various democratic jurisdictions agitate against crime prevention surveillance in a manner detrimental to the same security they concertedly desire to provide for the citizens. Law enforcement agencies seek efficiency, relevance and confidence of the citizens in their role in society but it seems the same society backed by scholars would not listen? What message are we passing to the law enforcement agencies? Who should the population trust more; the citizens or the law enforcement officers? Whose privacy is the state protecting? Whose security is the state obliged to protect? Could the resistance to crime prevention surveillance tie the hands of the state law enforcement and inadvertently provide opportunities for criminals and terrorists? What is the way forward? These are the questions this paper intends to discuss in the light of recent global events of security breaches. Key Words: Adversarial system, Privacy, Surveillance, Criminal justice, Crime prevention, Crime control, Securit

Rethinking Pre-Crime Surveillance versus Privacy in an Increasingly Insecure World: Imperative Expediency

Till date the United States of America has not overcome the 9/11 shock despite her efficient police and intelligence network. Nigerians would have perhaps saved the horror of the Boko Haram kidnap of the 276 innocent school girls in Maiduguri. Australians in Sydney would perhaps have prevented the death of two citizens in the hand of a man with known history of violence and crime at "the siege in Martin Place" had proper pre-emptive measures been taken. Less than 24 hours to that of Sydney Pakistan suffered its most horrifying attack in the hands of the Pakistan Taliban, causing a massacre of about 126 innocent children. Next, France became the victim. Some world leaders gathered to conduct a solidarity march and protest against terrorism. The clamour among scholars who hold fastidiously to the preservation of privacy against the quest for crime prevention surveillance in an insecure world today may be very rational and worthy of merits. But is it expedient? It appears the various democratic jurisdictions agitate against crime prevention surveillance in a manner detrimental to the same security they concertedly desire to provide for the citizens. Law enforcement agencies seek efficiency, relevance and confidence of the citizens in their role in society but it seems the same society backed by scholars would not listen? What message are we passing to the law enforcement agencies? Who should the population trust more; the citizens or the law enforcement officers? Whose privacy is the state protecting? Whose security is the state obliged to protect? Could the resistance to crime prevention surveillance tie the hands of the state law enforcement and inadvertently provide opportunities for criminals and terrorists? What is the way forward? These are the questions this paper intends to discuss in the light of recent global events of security breaches. Key Words: Adversarial system, Privacy, Surveillance, Criminal justice, Crime prevention, Crime control, Securit

Regulatory Initiatives for Driving Water, Energy and Food Nexus: The Nigerian Episode

Water, energy and food are deeply connected and are fundamental to the sustainable development in all societies. This connection is recognized by the United Nation (UN), as part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. Achieving this goal is a major concern to the global community. However, there is limited access to these three essential resources due to incessant growth in population and climate change. As a result, there are growing concerns regarding the future, these three elements and sustainable development. Advanced technology development in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to be the greatest panacea to the water-energy-food challenge. This paper examined the nexus between the water, energy, and food sectors; identifies the challenges facing them, and proposes legal regimes to promote the use of local technology (taking into consideration the low level of technology in Nigeria in the era of AI) and adequate regulation to ensure food, water, and energy security in Nigeria

Regulatory Initiatives for Driving Water, Energy and Food Nexus: The Nigerian Episode

Water, energy and food are deeply connected and are fundamental to the sustainable development in all societies. This connection is recognized by the United Nation (UN), as part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. Achieving this goal is a major concern to the global community. However, there is limited access to these three essential resources due to incessant growth in population and climate change. As a result, there are growing concerns regarding the future, these three elements and sustainable development. Advanced technology development in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to be the greatest panacea to the water-energy-food challenge. This paper examined the nexus between the water, energy, and food sectors; identifies the challenges facing them, and proposes legal regimes to promote the use of local technology (taking into consideration the low level of technology in Nigeria in the era of AI) and adequate regulation to ensure food, water, and energy security in Nigeria

Succession Planning and Women Inclusion in Family Businesses

Purpose: This study assesses succession planning and women's inclusion in family businesses in Nigeria. It shows the extent of the challenges of succession planning and women's inclusion and the advantages that follow if the problem is corrected. Methodology: A survey research design was employed. Using a close-ended questionnaire data were collected from owners of businesses, company directors of family businesses, management employees of family businesses, consultants, civil servants, faculty members, and legal practitioners. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS Statistics 26. Result: The study found that the exclusion of women in succession planning was a common reason for the unsustainability of the family businesses. Challenges and factors such as cultural and religious bias, patriarchal system, the absence of proper and inadequate implementation of governance structures, etc. lead to the exclusion of women. Implications: Family businesses must focus on including women in succession planning as this would lead to an increase in their sustainability, productivity, and profitability, and it would also impact the Nigerian economy positively

Directors’ Conflict of Interest and Its Implication for the Sustainability of a Company

Events on the Boards of directors in Nigeria have exposed diverse cases of conflict of interest and non-disclosure. Activities of some directors reveal that they do not know the boundaries of their allegiance to the companies that appointed them. This paper examined the role of directors' viz-a-viz conflict of interest and how it affects the sustainability of the companies. The doctrinal method was used to analyze the principles of corporate governance as it is related to the conflict of interest of those who are involved in the management. With the use of primary and secondary sources, the authors discussed the legal provisions addressing issues on conflict of interest, and the impact and implication of conflict of interest related to the organizations, the economy, and corporate sustainability. The paper found that lack of adherence to the provision of corporate governance framework had led to the pervasive cases of non-disclosure, conflict of interest, criminal liability, and extinction of the companies in extreme cases. This paper also offers recommendations for curbing the menace of conflict of interest in order to ensure corporate sustainability

Social Media and the Liabilities of Internet Service Providers in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis of Jurisdictions

Social media has been the vehicle for the dynamic progression of globalization. The purpose of social media encompasses many ends. Some of which allow for liabilities for third-party users, or in some circumstances, liabilities for Internet Service Providers. There are many complications in determining the liabilities of Internet Service Providers and third-party users. This paper examined the nature of Internet Service Providers (ISP), social media, and the activities of third-party users in Nigeria. It also interrogated the various instances where third party use of social media might affect ISP liability. This paper further explored the judicial and legal framework of some jurisdictions to see how they view the liabilities of internet service providers. The paper concluded that internet service providers should be held accountable for the content that is published on their platforms as it affects greatly the lives of concerned users offline