Africa: Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration

In Nigeria, justice is not often measured by verdicts, but by waiting, and by waiting, this means, unfortunately, prolonged trials, delayed rulings, and overcrowded prisons, which have all turned courts into actual waiting rooms, like a woman waiting to conceive. This article examines the possible factors behind judicial delay, arguing that it is not merely a procedural flaw but a complex interplay of financial incentives, abuse of procedural safeguards, strategically prolonged litigation, and institutional inefficiencies.