The Relevance of Public Interest Litigation to Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

One of the various mechanisms that exist to enhance the practice of precipitating social change by the means of court decisions that reform legal rules, enforce existing laws and articulate public norms is the idea of Public Interest Litigation.  The most significant objective behind this mechanism is to promote public good.  Nigeria, a country richly endowed with huge human and material resources had lamentably lagged in terms of genuine commitment to the tenets of democracy and adherence to the principles of good governance.  However, the emergence of Public Interest Litigation has offered great hope about addressing this situation.  Private individuals can now institute legal proceedings towards providing remedies for perceived public wrongs.  Against the background, this paper sets out to examine the relevance of public interest litigation to the entrenchment of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.  The paper further considered the prospects and challenges of public interest litigation in Nigeria and suggested solutions to these problems. Keywords: - Nigeria, democracy, good governance, public interest litigation, rule of law, constitutionalism