This course explains the law of Nigeria, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
Course · Law by country · Nigeria
Nigerian Law
The law of Nigeria for the people who deal with it: a federal common-law system with a complex heritage, where customary law and Islamic law are part of the national order, under the Constitution of 1999, the federal and state institutions, the court hierarchy and the National Industrial Court, rights and citizenship, contract, the Land Use Act, family law and succession, business, employment and the tax reform of 2026, and criminal justice, the petroleum industry and international law.
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Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and one of its most important legal systems. It is a federation with a written Constitution and a common-law inheritance from England, but its law is not only English: customary law applies to the personal and community affairs of many Nigerians, and Islamic law applies to Muslims in personal matters and, in certain northern states, in criminal matters. The courts reflect this plural order, with a Supreme Court and a Court of Appeal at the top, a Federal High Court, State High Courts and a National Industrial Court, and Sharia and Customary Courts of Appeal alongside. This course gives a complete first map for the people who deal with Nigerian law, from the point of view of the foreigner. It starts with the history, the sources and the place of customary and Islamic law; then the Constitution, the President and the National Assembly; then federalism, the states and legal pluralism; then the courts and the legal professions; then rights, citizenship and public law; then contract, land, family law and succession; then business, employment and tax; and finally criminal justice, the petroleum industry and international law. It uses invented people and businesses, and three working tools.
The Curriculum
Foundations of Nigerian law: indigenous traditions and British colonial rule, independence, the Constitution as supreme law, sources and hierarchy of law, the reception of English law and legal pluralism→
History, the supreme Constitution, sources and hierarchy, the reception of English law and legal pluralism. Practice: Which Source, Which Rule Prevails and Spot the Mistake.
The Constitution and federal institutions: the presidency, the National Assembly, lawmaking, the Federal Executive Council, elections and the separation of powers→
The presidency, the National Assembly, lawmaking, the Federal Executive Council, elections and the separation of powers. Practice: Who Does What, Apply the Rule and Spot the Mistake.
Federalism, states and legal pluralism: the federal and state lists, the thirty-six states and local governments, the Federal Capital Territory, customary law and Islamic law and the Sharia courts→
The federal and state lists, the states and local governments, the FCT, customary law and Islamic law. Practice: Which Government, Which Court and Spot the Mistake.
Courts and the legal professions: the court hierarchy, the Supreme Court, the Federal High Court and State High Courts, the National Industrial Court, barristers and solicitors, prosecutors and the path to practise→
The judiciary, the court hierarchy, the specialised courts and the legal professions. Practice: Which Court, Who May Act and Spot the Mistake.
Rights, citizenship and public law: Chapter IV, enforcing a right, the objectives that courts do not enforce, citizenship and foreigners, administrative law and public integrity→
Chapter IV rights, citizenship, foreigners, administrative law and public integrity. Practice: Whose Right Is It?, What Would You Do? and Spot the Mistake.
Contract, land, family and succession: private law in a plural system, the Land Use Act and the Governor’s consent, three kinds of marriage, wills and intestacy→
Contract and tort, land under the Land Use Act, marriage and children, wills and inheritance. Practice: Which Marriage?, What Is the Risk? and Spot the Mistake.
Business, employment and tax: companies under CAMA 2020, investing from abroad, the Labour Act and the National Industrial Court, pensions, and the tax reform of 2026→
Companies, foreign investment, regulation, employment, pensions and tax. Practice: Which Body?, What Should They Do? and Spot the Mistake.
Criminal justice and specialised fields: the criminal codes and procedure, petroleum and the host communities, the environment, intellectual property, data protection, treaties and arbitration→
The criminal codes and procedure, oil and gas, the environment, intellectual property, data, treaties and arbitration. Practice: Which Law Applies?, What Applies Here? and Spot the Mistake.
Capstone: Capstone: Thomas Becker and the Lagos solar company→
A solar company in Lagos, a visa, a company form and a local distributor, a plot bought without consent, a dismissal, and a customary wedding and a will. Choose the route, the form, the forum and the remedy.
What It Covers
“You will be able to say, for any problem you may have in Nigeria, which rule applies (including whether federal law, state law, customary law or Islamic law governs it and how the Constitution limits it), which court or authority decides it, which time limit runs and which professional you need.”
- Written for the foreigner and honest about Nigeria’s plural order: it explains the federal common-law system and the place of customary and Islamic law instead of treating Nigeria as simply English law, and it never suggests that all Nigerians share the same rules. It follows the questions a visitor, resident, employee, family or business actually has.
- Teaches the structure behind the rules, so that a student who knows how the Constitution, the federal and state lists, the court hierarchy and the personal laws fit together can read any new rule and compare Nigerian law with other common-law and plural systems.
- Three tools with invented facts: a Residence Status Finder, an Entity Chooser and a Court and Forum Finder, each showing how the answer changes when a fact does.
- Honest about limits: a tax reform took effect on 1 January 2026, the petroleum industry was reorganised in 2021, and foreign exchange and immigration rules change often, so the course teaches the structure and flags where to check the current text. It states no changing figures and is general education, not advice.
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Common questions
- Is Nigerian law just English law?
- No. English common law and statutes were received and still shape contract, tort and procedure, but the Constitution of 1999, federal and state legislation, customary law and Islamic law are all part of the system. The course explains where each applies.
- Is Islamic law applied everywhere in Nigeria?
- No. Islamic personal law applies to Muslims through the Sharia courts in the states that have them, and certain northern states also apply Sharia penal laws to Muslims. The Constitution makes Nigeria a secular state, and the criminal and commercial law elsewhere is the same for everyone.
- Is it for people who want to practise Nigerian law?
- No. It is a first course for the people who deal with Nigerian law. Only a Nigerian legal practitioner can advise on Nigerian law and act in the courts, and the course says when you need one.
- Are the tools real data?
- No. The tools apply well-known rules in simplified form to invented facts. They show the structure of the answer and cannot decide a case.
- Does it give the current rule on every point?
- It teaches the provisions that have lasted. The tax reform, the immigration and foreign exchange rules, the petroleum regulations and state laws on land and children are changing or differ by state, so check the current text for any real matter.
- How do I get the Certificate of Completion?
- Sign in, pass each module quiz and keep a course average of at least 75. The certificate is then issued and emailed to you automatically.
This course was written on 5 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Nigeria as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.
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