Supreme Court Upholds the Right of the Female Child

  Nigeria is a country with a great blend of the various cultures of her people and various external influences. It is also on its way to becoming one of the countries that can compete with other developed countries on a global sphere. That is why we are happy to announce that the Supreme Court has voided the Igbo law and custom which forbids a female from inheriting her late father’s estate. The Supreme Court made this decision on the grounds that the law is discriminatory and conflicts with the provision of the constitution. The court held that the practice conflicted with section 42(1)(a) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour on a recent case related to this issue made it known that, “no matter the circumstances of the birth of a female child, such a child is entitled to an inheritance from her later father’s estate. Consequently, the Igbo customary law, which disentitles a female child from partaking in the sharing of her deceased father’s estate is breach of Section 42(1) and (2) of the Constitution, a fundamental rights provision guaranteed to every Nigerian.” Justices Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, Claral Bata Ogunbiyi, Kumai Bayang Aka’ahs and John Inyang Okoro, who were part of the panel that heard the appeal, agreed with the lead judgment.