APPRAISAL

Maritime trade remains the lifeblood of global commerce, yet the disputes that arise from it demand swift, specialized, and reliable mechanisms of resolution. This project dives into the effectiveness of arbitration as a tool for resolving maritime claims in Nigeria, a jurisdiction whose strategic coastal economy makes efficient dispute settlement indispensable. Anchored in the framework of international maritime law, the study probes Nigeria’s legal and institutional structures for maritime arbitration and evaluates their conformity with global benchmarks such as the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules and key instruments. Through this inquiry, the research uncovers fundamental strengths and persistent gaps within Nigeria’s arbitration landscape, offering a nuanced assessment of its capacity to support modern maritime activity. The study’s significance extends beyond theoretical contribution; by situating Nigeria’s experience within comparative international practice, it highlights reforms needed to enhance procedural efficiency, promote investor confidence, and align domestic mechanisms with international best standards. Employing a doctrinal methodology, the project draws on statutes, conventions, case law, arbitral decisions, and institutional rules, supplemented by comparative and analytical perspectives. This approach enables a thorough and systematic appraisal of the legal issues at stake. Ultimately, the research not only advances the understanding of maritime arbitration in Nigeria but also provides practical insights that may shape future legislative and institutional developments

A company, though a legal fiction, operates through the actions and decisions of it’s shareholders and directors. The provisions of Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 envisage democratic and inclusive processes that reflect on the interests of all shareholders in practice, the principle that “the majority have their way and the minority shareholders. Unarguably, it is a commonplace to see actions of majority shareholders that contradict the Act or Articles, which in result could be detrimental to the interest of the minority shareholder. Such an illegal impedes good corporate governance and could have a company destabilized. Given the wanton injustice suffered by the latter, the letters of CAMA, though, attempts to provide safeguards in exceptional cases, the discretionary power of the court and the procedural hurdles in initiating derivative actions may deter or deny minority shareholders adequate protection. The study adopts the doctrine methodology of research. This research critically evaluates the effectiveness of minority protection mechanisms in Nigeria and identifies the legal and institutional loopholes that allow collusion between majority shareholders and company directors. Drawing from comparative corporate law regimes in other jurisdictions, the study recommends reforms aimed at establishing a robust legal, institutional, and third-party framework that better secures the rights and interests of minority shareholders.

The issue of national security is contentious and indeed, a subject of immense concern to every Nigeria and Government which has ruled from independence to the present day. It is a subject that concerns the survival of a nation in the international system. However, there is a correlation between national security and pursuit of a foreign policy. In the past, there was demarcation between foreign policy and national defence policy. The truth remains that no nation can play meaningful role in the international system, if the state does not have dynamic foreign policy linked up with her defence policy.