Legal appraisal of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria

Abstract

Having specialised courts to handle labour and employment matters is not a new phenomenon as many countries practise this system, with Nigeria not being an exception. The National Industrial Court stands in a special stead in the scheme of things in the justice system of Nigeria. However, the purpose of this research was to examine this court based on the laws that established it and analyse the jurisdiction of the court. The power to transfer industrial matters to the National Industrial Court (NIC), after assuming sole jurisdiction to entertain such matters, was examined through analyses of relevant legal provisions. This paper went further to scrutinise the scope of the NIC's civil and criminal jurisdictions vis-a-vis other courts in Nigeria. The research finally addressed the composition of the NIC in the exercise of its jurisdiction. It was discovered that certain provisions of the lav’s are not clear enough to properly situate the NIC in the scheme of the justice system in Nigeria which requires amendments.