Reflections on the Legal Aid Architecture in Nigeria and the Syndrome of Unequal Access to Justice

Equal access to justice for the rich and poor alike is important to the maintenance of the rule of law. The practical actualization of most of the fundamental rights cannot be achieved in a country like Nigeria where millions live below starvation level. In the circumstances of this nature, fundamental rights provisions enshrined in the Constitution are nothing but meaningless jargon to Nigerians living in poverty. What is the value of fair hearing to the poor man who cannot pay summons fee let alone afford the service of a counsel? In a developing country like Nigeria where the illiteracy rate may be as high as 84%, it cannot be doubted that the government and the community must come to the aid of the poor if the administration of justice must have a social relevance. It is therefore essential to provide adequate legal advice and representation to all whose rights are threatened. The paper aims to appraise legal aid as an effective tool in dispensing justice in Nigeria where majority of the populace live below the poverty line. The paper also did a comparative analysis of legal aid systems in other jurisdictions of the world and concludes by proffering recommendations to improve legal aid architecture in Nigeria.

Keywords: Legal Aid, Evolution, Poverty, Comparative Survey, Legal Framework, Challenges.