International records / OpenAlex research

Reform of the customary law of inheritance in Nigeria : lessons from South Africa : focus : twenty years of the South African Constitution

Apart from preserving bloodlines, the male primogeniture rule of inheritance is aimed at providing material support to deceased persons' dependants. This 'inheritance-with-responsibilities' principle is being eroded by socio-economic changes, such as urbanisation, labour migration and the diffusion of extended families, thereby causing hardship to widows, girls and younger male children. So, to what extent has Nigeria reformed customary law inheritance rules in order to reconcile them with changing social conditions? Whereas South Africa has adopted judicial and legislative measures to reform …