In most African customs and traditions, divorce is conducted and validated by the return of the bride price by the woman’s family to the man. I know for a fact that in my custom, if a woman is no longer interested in marrying the man, the family of the woman will gather the bride price or whatever that has been gifted or that stands as a bride price and return it to the man, this will traditionally and customarily mean that divorce has been conducted and the spouses are no longer married. 

This custom of divorce by returning a bride price has been upheld by courts as a valid means of divorce as has been practiced customarily in most Nigerian customs and even extensively in Africa.

Some men who conducted their marriage customarily even now insist that if their wives are leaving or no longer want to marry them again, the wife must return the bride price and every other gift he has ever gifted the woman during the course of the marriage back to him. This demand from the man will inadvertently tie down the woman who may not afford to return the dowry paid and every gift she has ever received in the marriage. 

Recently, an Upper Customary Court in Kafanchan judicial division sitting at Gwantu, Kaduna state has declared this custom of a man demanding the woman to return the bride price he paid on her back to him before the divorce can be customarily validated to be repugnant to Natural Justice, Equity and good conscience. The court held that the Mada marriage custom and every other Nigerian custom and tradition that requires a departing wife to refund her husband’s dowry and other incidental expenses for her marriage as a ground for granting her divorce is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.

The court held that those customs demanding women to return dowry paid on their head have reduced women to mere chattels that are up for trade and can be returned whenever the buyer no longer sees fit in the item and the buyer can demand a refund of his money. 

In this landmark Judgment delivered by His Worship, Emmanuel J. Samaila, in the case of Tina John v Adamu John, the court condemned the practice that reduces women married under customary law to the status of mere chattels acquired by men to be used and dumped at their pleasure and with effrontery as repugnant.

The court upheld the Petitioner’s position who had contended that the only ground upon which she will make such a refund is if the respondent can restore her body to its pre-marital state as he has used her body to produce children and in other ways, too for the past three decades their marriage have subsisted. 

Even in the far East African country of Uganda, the court had earlier adopted this reasoning in 2015 in the case of Mifumi (U) & 12 Ors v. Attorney General & Anor (2015) where the Supreme Court of Uganda held that the demand of refund of bride price after the breakdown of a customary marriage is unconstitutional, repugnant to natural justice equity and good conscience.

Therefore, by the implication of this recent judgment, a woman may no longer be expected to return the dowry or the bride price back to the man before their divorce can customarily be validated. 

The Nigerian government has given the green light for a $3.45 billion loan that will be allocated to finance vital projects within the power sector and a resource mobilization and education initiative.

While the move is aimed at spurring development in the country, it has raised concerns about the growing national debt crisis.

The announcement was made by Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, during a press briefing following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa’s Council Chambers in Abuja on Monday.

Edun disclosed that the loans would have a lengthy tenure of around 40 years, with a moratorium period of approximately 10 years and notably low-interest rates. He stated, “In the cases of either loans, zero interest will apply, although some fees will be incurred.”

On the education front, Professor Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, revealed that this financial initiative aimed to bolster efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children, particularly targeting girls aged 10 to 20 from 18 participating states. This move underscores the government’s commitment to promoting education and empowerment for teenage females.

Furthermore, Mamman noted that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had reevaluated its policy direction and authorized the Public Procurement Council to carry out contract award functions in alignment with the requirements of the Public Procurement Act. This decision allows the FEC to concentrate on issues of national importance.

Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, informed reporters that the council had also approved the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund. This fund will be overseen by a board of directors and aims to raise $5 billion annually from a range of sources.

Edu emphasized that the implementation of this initiative would be thoroughly planned, with the committee consisting of key ministers, including the finance minister.

One notable development is the ratification of the protocol on the protection of the rights of elderly people in Nigeria, signaling the government’s commitment to the welfare of the elderly.

Despite these ambitious projects, concerns have arisen regarding the increasing volume of loans being sought by the Tinubu administration.

Critics have drawn comparisons to the previous administration led by Muhammadu Buhari, which significantly increased Nigeria’s public debt to N87 trillion in eight years.

Earlier this month, the FEC granted approval for a $1.58 billion loan request. This request, as clarified by Edun, comprises two parts: $1.5 billion from the World Bank and $80 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The Tinubu administration’s plan to accumulate a combined fiscal deficit of N30.6 trillion between 2024, 2025, and 2026, as outlined in the government’s medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), has raised eyebrows. The 2024 budget proposal, in particular, is expected to have a fiscal deficit of N9.04 trillion, representing a fiscal deficit to GDP ratio of 3.83%, which exceeds the 3% threshold stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007.

The situation paints a gloomy economic future for Nigeria due to the significant reduction in the nation’s oil output, which has greatly curtailed its revenue generation.

The Supreme Court has announced that it will deliver its judgment on Thursday, October 26, in the appeals lodged by presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Both candidates are contesting the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Court, which upheld the electoral victory of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Festus Akande, the Director of Information at the Supreme Court, confirmed this date following a recent hearing before a seven-member panel of justices.

Atiku and Obi are challenging the outcome of the presidential election on various grounds, including substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, allegations of Tinubu’s dual citizenship, and his purported failure to secure 25% of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory.

In a twist, Atiku Abubakar, a former Nigerian Vice President, is also seeking to introduce academic records from President Bola Tinubu’s time at Chicago State University. Atiku believes that these records could potentially reveal forgery, further complicating matters for Tinubu.

However, there has been a notable lack of trust expressed by Nigerians in the apex court. This skepticism is largely attributed to previous rulings that have raised questions about the court’s reputation.

The recent scrutiny of Chicago State University’s letters regarding Tinubu’s academic records has added to the skepticism. Justice John Okoro, Chairman of the 7-member panel, noted about the letters, “But in this case, there are two conflicting letters from the CSU – one authenticating the president’s certificate and another discrediting it. Which do we rely on?”

Many Nigerians perceive this as an attempt by the court to find technicalities to dismiss the case.

In a previous ruling by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) in July, all charges brought by Atiku and Peter Obi challenging Tinubu’s victory were dismissed, leading to widespread criticism and claims of a miscarriage of justice.

The perceived lack of trust in the judiciary is not confined to this case alone. Past rulings, such as the declaration of Hope Uzodinma as the winner of the 2019 Imo State governorship election, despite coming fourth in the polls, have also contributed to the skepticism.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s decision to return Ahmad Lawan to the Senate, despite not participating in the party’s primary election, has raised further doubts about the court’s impartiality.

Against this backdrop, there is a prevailing belief that the Supreme Court is hastening its judgment on the certificate forgery case against Tinubu, possibly to issue a favorable ruling to the embattled president. The choice of October 26 for the judgment is viewed by some as a calculated move to shield Tinubu from potential criminal indictments that the files the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is anticipated to release later this month will bring.

While Nigerians await the Supreme Court’s decision, the credibility and transparency of the country’s judicial institutions continue to be the focus of intense public debate and concern.