A party in victory in a litigation is entitled and must reap the fruits of his success. That is the essence of the victory and litigation itself. Once he is denied that benefit accruing from his success, then he can be said to have only barren victory or victory in name without more.
— Niki Tobi JCA. Ladoke & Ors. V. Olobayo & Anor. (CA/L/137M/92 , 17 July 1992)
SHARE ON
By the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, parties to a contract can include an arbitration clause which allows for disputes to be settled by arbitration instead of litigation. At the end of the arbitration process, the agreement reached (i.e the award) will be enforced by the Courts after registration in Court. Where parties opt to arbitrate over disputes, it does not automatically oust the jurisdiction bestowed on the Court by the 1999 CRFN. Section 2(2) of the Arbitration Act states follows: “Unless a contrary intention is expressed therein, an arbitration agreement shall be irrevocable except by agreement of parties or by leave of the Court or judge.” (emphasis mine) Although it is preferable in many cases to go to arbitration rather than go to Court, it should be noted that arbitration and litigation are not mutually exclusive. Indeed the Court often complements and supplements the functions and powers of the arbitrator. For example, by stay of Court proceedings in appropriate cases; by the issue of subpoena; by making appointments where the parties cannot agree or where a party defaults; for the enforcement of awards and for setting aside awards where necessary. In these cases, the Court intervenes to ensure the proper functioning of arbitration.
— H.M. Ogunwumiju, JSC. UBA v Triedent Consulting Ltd. (SC.CV/405/2013, July 07, 2023)
LITIGATION STRATEGY SHOULD NOT BE TURNED INTO A LABYRINTH DESIGNED TO EXHAUST AND FRUSTRATE
Abubakar v. Providus Bank Ltd. (2026) 13 NWLR (Pt. 2056) 87 at 177, A—C per Abubakar JSC: ‘I must observe, with all the restraint demanded by judicial decorum, that learned counsel owe a solemn duty not merely to their clients, but also to the court and to the due administration of justice. Advocacy, no matter how vigorous, must remain within the bounds of professional responsibility. The court cannot commend a litigation strategy which, viewed objectively, appears more devoted to frustrating the hearing of the substantive matter than to securing a fair adjudication thereof. The temple of justice is not served when procedure is converted into a labyrinth designed to exhaust, frustrate and immobilize legitimate adjudication. I need not say more, let me just stop here.’
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