Examined here are the legal and practical reasons for the inefficiency of the legal framework of creditor protection in Nigeria. This is amply justified considering the critical role of credit in the promotion of economic growth and development and also bearing in mind the near calamitous consequences the 2009 financial crisis unleashed not only among Nigerian banks and financial institutions, and in the international financial system. The latter nearly led to socioeconomic catastrophe in Nigeria, as well as globally. It is hoped that book is found useful by government, policy makers, academics, corporate financial experts, investment bankers and other stakeholders to initiate and implement efficient policy actions to protect creditors in order to sustain the flow of credit, the engine of any economy.

Since her political independence from the British government in 1960, Nigeria has gone through different phases in the effort to develop the corporate sector. The intention was to drive the economy through corporate enterprises; however, the absence of effective corporate governance structure and conducive investment environment has no doubt been a source of concern for investors and successive governments. Meticulously researched and organized, this book takes the global view on corporate governance to provide insight into the corporate governance conundrum in Nigeria. Against the background of international standard, Author, Olusola A. Akinpelu proposes a number of reforms to the existing governance structure and delves into the history of corporate development from the 1960s through the present. In addition, Akinpelu offers an in-depth analysis of the philosophical foundations for corporate governance and compiles the theories, models, statutes, reforms, international standards, guidelines, and legal cases on corporate governance in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States of America, and elsewhere to show how no country is completely immune from corporate collapse. A timely work, Corporate Governance Framework in Nigeria will interest students of business economics, business law, legal practitioners, and researchers in the field of corporate governance. 'An excellently well written book on all important subject of socio-economic value and relevance.'' - Guoleba Seri (Esq), Chairman/CEO, Seri Associates, LLC, NY. Founder and President/CEO, African Chambers of Commerce, United States.

This book offers a valuable guide to one of the most challenging areas of commercial law, now frequently referred to as secured transactions, with a focus on Nigerian, Canadian and United States perspectives. A debtor’s ability to provide collateral influences not only the cost of the money borrowed, but also in many cases, whether secured lenders are willing to offer credit at all. The book proposes that increasing access to, and indeed, lowering the cost of credit could tremendously boost economic development, while at the same time arguing that this would best be achieved if the legal framework for secured transactions in Nigeria, and of course, any other country with similar experiences, were designed to allow the use of personal property and fixtures to secure credit. Similarly, the creation, priority, perfection, and enforcement of security interests in personal property should be simplified and supported by a framework that ensures that neither the interests of secured lenders nor debtors are hampered, so as to guarantee the continuous availability of affordable credit as well as debtors’ willingness to borrow and do business. The book further argues that in addition to the obvious preference for real property over personal property by secured lenders due to the unreformed secured-transactions legal framework in Nigeria, its compartmentalized nature has also resulted in unpredictability in commerce and the concomitant effects of poor access to credit. Through the comparative research conducted in this book utilizing the UCC Article 9 and Ontario PPSA as benchmarks, the author provides reformers with a repository of tested secured-transactions law solutions, which law reformers in the Commonwealth countries in Africa and beyond, as well as the business community will find valuable in dealing with issues that stem from secured transactions.

The book sheds light on the perhaps most important legal conundrum in the context of sovereign debt restructuring: the holdout creditor problem. Absent an international bankruptcy regime for sovereigns, holdout creditors may delay or even thwart the efficient resolution of sovereign debt crises by leveraging contractual provisions and, in an increasing number of cases, by seeking to enforce a debt claim against the sovereign in courts or international tribunals. Following an introduction to sovereign debt and its restructuring, the book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the holdout creditor problem in the context of the two largest sovereign debt restructuring operations in history: the Argentine restructurings of 2005 and 2010 and the 2012 Greek private sector involvement. By reviewing numerous lawsuits and arbitral proceedings initiated against Argentina and Greece across a dozen different jurisdictions, it distils the organizing principles for ongoing and future cases of sovereign debt restructuring and litigation. It highlights the different approaches judges and arbitrators have adopted when dealing with holdout creditors, ranging from the denial of their contractual right to repayment on human rights grounds to leveraging the international financial infrastructure to coerce governments into meeting holdouts’ demands. To this end, it zooms in on the role the governing law plays in sovereign debt restructurings, revisits the contemporary view on sovereign immunity from suit and enforcement in the international debt context, and examines how creditor rights are balanced with the sovereign’s interest in achieving debt sustainability. Finally, it advances a new genealogy of holdouts, distinguishing between official and private sector holdouts and discussing how the proliferation of new types of uncooperative creditors may affect the sovereign debt architecture going forward. While the book is aimed at practitioners and scholars dealing with sovereign debt and its restructuring, it should also provide the general reader with the understanding of the key legal issues facing countries in debt distress. Moreover, by weaving economic, financial, and political considerations into its analysis of holdout creditor litigation and arbitration, the book also speaks to policymakers without a legal background engaged in the field of international finance and economics.

This book examines an enactment that reforms Nigeria’s personal property security law by adopting the unitary system of secured transactions in replacement of the common law system. With the unitary system widely acclaimed for enhancing access to credit for small business entities, the book highlights the drawbacks of the enactment in the attainment of this objective. Being the foremost Nigerian book on the unitary system, it is a significant text for all stakeholders in the credit system within and outside Nigeria, including law academics, practitioners, students and financial regulators. It will interest those in countries that are intent on undergoing similar reform as it provides guidance on the unique features of the unitary system in contrast with those of the common law. In the spirit of reform, the book compares the Nigerian enactment to other similar enactments to highlight potential lessons in areas in which the Nigerian enactment appears to have lost traction.This book examines an enactment that reforms Nigeria’s personal property security law by adopting the unitary system of secured transactions in replacement of the common law system. With the unitary system widely acclaimed for enhancing access to credit for small business entities, the book highlights the drawbacks of the enactment in the attainment of this objective. Being the foremost Nigerian book on the unitary system, it is a significant text for all stakeholders in the credit system within and outside Nigeria, including law academics, practitioners, students and financial regulators. It will interest those in countries that are intent on undergoing similar reform as it provides guidance on the unique features of the unitary system in contrast with those of the common law. In the spirit of reform, the book compares the Nigerian enactment to other similar enactments to highlight potential lessons in areas in which the Nigerian enactment appears to have lost traction.

Multinational Enterprises and the Law presents the only comprehensive, contemporary, and interdisciplinary account of the various techniques used to regulate multinational enterprises (MNEs) at the national, regional and multilateral levels. In addition it considers the effects of corporate self-regulation upon the development of the legal order in this area. Split into four parts the book firstly deals with the conceptual basis for MNE regulation, explaining the growth of MNEs, their business and legal forms, the relationship between them and the effects of a globalising economy and society upon the evolution of regulatory agendas in the field. Part II covers the main areas of economic regulation including the limits of national and regional jurisdiction over MNE activities, controls and liberalization of entry and establishment; tax and company, and competition law. Part III introduces the social dimension of MNE regulation covering labour rights, human rights, and environmental issues, and Part IV deals with the contribution of international law and organizations to MNE regulation and to the control of investment risks, covering the main provisions found in international investment agreements and their recent interpretation by international tribunals.

Throughout the world, the Anglo-American model of corporate governance tends to prevail – but no two countries are identical. Governance outcomes in developing and emerging economies often deviate from what theory predicts, due to a wide range of factors. Using insights from New Institutional Economics, Corporate Governance in Developing and Emerging Markets aims to explain the different issues and cultural and legal factors at play, and put forward an alternative governance framework for these economies. Structured in three parts, this text investigates different models of corporate governance; it explores the realities of corporate governance in ten nations, including the ‘BRICS’ (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and ‘MINT’ (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) countries; and then considers corporate governance reform. This interdisciplinary text will be a valuable tool for students of corporate governance across Business, Economics and Law; and an equally useful resource for anyone working in or carrying out research in this area.

Multinational Enterprises and the Law is the only comprehensive, contemporary, and interdisciplinary account of the techniques used to regulate multinational enterprises (MNEs) at the national, regional, and multilateral levels. In addition, it considers the effects of corporate self-regulation, and the impact of civil society and community groups upon the development of the legal order in this area. The book has been thoroughly revised and updated for this third edition, making it a definitive reference work for students, researchers, and practitioners of international economic law, business, corporate and commercial law, development studies, and international politics. Split into four parts, the book first deals with the conceptual basis for MNE regulation. It explains the growth of MNEs, their business and legal forms, and the relationship between them and the effects of a globalized economy and society, now increasingly challenged by recently revived nationalist economic policies, upon the evolution of regulatory agendas in the field. In addition, the limits of national and regional jurisdiction over MNE activities are considered, a question that arises throughout the specialized areas of regulation covered in the remainder of the book. Part II covers the main areas of economic regulation, including controls over, and the liberalization of, entry and establishment, tax, company and competition law and the impact of intellectual property rights on technology diffusion and transfer. A specialized chapter on the regulation of multinational banks in the wake of the global financial crisis is new to this edition. Part III introduces the social dimension of MNE regulation covering labour rights, human rights, and environmental issues. Finally, Part IV deals with the contribution of international investment law to MNE regulation and to the control of investment risks, covering the main provisions found in international investment agreements, their interpretation by international tribunals, the process of investor-state arbitration, and how concerns over these developments are leading to reform proposals.

The subject of bank stability has been under a great amount of political and legislative scrutiny since the mid-2007 to late-2009 global financial crisis. However, these efforts have centred on developed economies. Little coverage is given to strategies adopted by many developing economies. While there is a global discourse on the subject of insolvency generally, there is ample scope to contribute to the growing body of work on the narrow subject of bank insolvencies. This book provides a unique perspective on an emerging theme in at least two respects. First is the focus on selected developing economies and selected developed economies in the EMEA region alongside cross-border developments, with the objective of deciphering the regulatory approach to bank insolvencies. The second is the analytical consideration of methods that may be implemented to preclude or resolve bank insolvencies in developing economies. This book explores the nexus between developing economies and their banking institutions. Developing economies are acutely dependent on their banks for the functioning of their cash-based economies. Recent events, however, suggest a weakness in the long-term viability of some of their banks and a mixed-bag regulatory approach to redress this weakness. This book evaluates the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks in selected developing economies that are designed to prevent or resolve the insolvency of banks. At a time of global economic uncertainty, this book will prove to be a valuable resource to the discourse on the viability of banks, businesses, and economies in developing States.