Nigeria’s healthcare sector faces a chronic deficit in its doctor-to-patient ratio, estimated at nearly 1,000% below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation. This shortage, driven by infrastructural decay and the persistent brain drain of health professionals, poses profound implications for attaining Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and well-being. While government policies, such as the 2024 National Policy on Health Workforce Migration, attempt to address the challenge, they largely overlook technology’s transformative role. This article examines how digital health tools, particularly telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), electronic health records (EHR), and medical robotics, can serve as innovative solutions to bridge Nigeria’s ratio gap. The article adopts a purely doctrinal approach, consulting statutes, journal articles, newspaper articles, books, etc. It finds that technology plays an immense role in better healthcare delivery, but several issues bordering on financing, data protection, patient privacy, medical liability, and institutional oversight pose a concern. It concludes that if embedded within robust legal safeguards, technology offers a sustainable pathway to enhancing healthcare delivery, protecting patients’ rights, and accelerating Nigeria’s Progress toward SDG 3. Drawing on comparative frameworks from other jurisdictions and international best practices, the article recommends that Nigeria establish a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for digital health, accompanied by deliberate policy and infrastructural reforms.

In Nigeria, an estimated average of 44% of girls are married before their 18th birthday, placing the country among the highest globally. Nigeria is ranked eleventh in the world with the highest prevalence of child marriage. This occurs despite the existence of laws prohibiting child marriage, creating a stark paradox. The legislation intended to protect children is unenforced, rendering the laws mere words on paper. This paper focuses on the harsh reality of the widespread practice of child marriage in Nigeria, highlighting how the failure to enforce existing laws undermines the continuous efforts to eradicate the practice and protect the vulnerable. It examines the concept of early child marriage and the consequences of the gap between existing legislation and its effective enforcement. It further recommends steps that can be taken by the government to bridge this gap, as well as the need for comprehensive strategies.

Cybercrime presents a critical international legal challenge; characterized by its borderless nature and rapid evolution into sophisticated threats like ransomware, deepfakes, and financial fraud. The global fight against this menace is currently constrained by complex issues of jurisdiction, extradition, and inherent conflicts between national laws.This article undertakes a critical analysis of the legal frameworks established to combat this threat by focusing on the domestic efficacy of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015. It examines how the Act aligns with and differs from foundational international instruments, specifically the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention). Furthermore, the paper argues that despite the 2015 Act providing a crucial domestic foundation for cyber-offences, its actual capacity to deter and prosecute transnational cybercrime is severely hampered. This limitation stems from persistent challenges in coordinating cross-border enforcement, effectively gathering digital evidence, and resolving complex jurisdictional disputes. The conclusion calls for more robust international legislative harmonization and judicial cooperation to fortifythe legal response against these evolving network-driven offences.

Who was Ochanya? A name that shook Nigeria and the world, behind that name was one of the most heartbreaking stories in our recent history. Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, just 13 years old, died in 2018 after years of horrific sexual abuse committed by her guardian and his son. Her story exposed not only unimaginable cruelty, but also the deep cracks in Nigeria’s child-protection and justice systems.Though the case was eventually reopened, the painfully slow response and judicial neglect revealed how fragile our legal safeguards for children truly are. Justice delayed became justice denied. This paper examines Nigeria’s child-protection framework, particularly the Child Rights Act 2003, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015, the Penal Code, constitutional rights, and relevant international instruments like the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Using Ochanya’s case as a lens, it highlights the noticeable difference between the law on paper and its enforcement in reality, exposing the legal, institutional, and socio-cultural failures that enabled the abuse. The essay concludes by proposing reforms to strengthen child-protection mechanisms and prevent future tragedies.

The rigid requirements of the Wills Act of 1837 for creating wills pose significant challenges in the digital age, particularly in Nigeria, as it does not accommodate electronic writing, signing, and witnessing. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for flexibility in will execution, as traditional formalities hinder access to will-making in emergency situations. While advancements in technology have addressed most challenges posed by the Wills Act, the wills law in Nigeria is yet to revolutionise to accommodate electronic wills. This article aims to explore the formal requirements of traditional statutory wills and their applicability to electronic wills, with a view to recommending reforms to the Wills Act. Using the doctrinal research method, this article examines the Wills Act and international trends, particularly in the United States of America, where electronic will statutes have been adopted, to make a case for the enactment of electronic will legislation in Nigeria. The article argues that while the extant Wills Act is impliedly applicable to electronic wills when read with other laws admitting electronic writing, signing, and notarization, reforming the Wills Act to explicitly accommodate electronic wills will increase access to will-making, reduce intestacy, and provide a more efficient and inclusive framework for estate planning in Nigeria. Contributing to the ongoing debate on reforming Nigeria’s wills law to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society, the article concludes by recommending certain legislative reforms to the Wills Act to reflect modernity.

Development was traditionally measured in terms of economic growth. Recently, there has been a significant push towards a holistic approach to development encompassing economic, social, environmental and political dimensions. Sustainable development embodies this balance, ensuring that the present needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. The Owino-Uhuru case exemplifies the tension between industrial activity and environmental protection. A metal refinery company operated in Owino-Uhuru village where they disposed of hazardous waste causing severe lead poisoning to the residents leading to chronic terminal illnesses and death. This case underscores the need to balance development and environmental protection to safeguard and promote societal well-being. This paper examines Kenya’s constitutional and statutory frameworks governing the right to a healthy environment in Kenya, particularly the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the nvironmental Management and Coordination Act (1999). Through analysis of the Kenyan legal framework, this paper explores the balance between the need to conserve the environment while meeting developmental goals.