Examination of the Extent of the Jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court

Abstract This work aims to examine the extent of the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court NIC) in Nigeria. The Court was established in 1976 as a specialised court to adjudicate on matters relating to labour. The legal struggle surrounding the identity and the constitutional status of the court including the extent and scope of its jurisdiction has not been an easy combat since the creation of the court. Fortunately the court has survived this question as to whether the court is a superior court following the amendment of the 1999 Constitution by the Third Alteration Act. However, it is doubtful whether the issue as regards the extent of the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court has been resolved. The study observed that the Third Alteration Act which attempted to resolve the said issue by conferring exclusive jurisdiction on the court on labour matters, has yet germinated another problem or otherwise compounded it. The jurisdictional conflicts between the National Industrial Court and High courts, particularly the Federal High Court still persist. The major factor contributing to these conflicts is lack of clarity of the extent and scope of the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court and the Federal High Court. The paper recommends a review of the jutisdictional framework for labour and employment disputes in Nigeria. The review should involve a re-examination of the National Industrial Court jurisdictional powers, as well as a clarification of the overlap of jurisdiction between the National Industrial Court and the regular courts. In other words., the exact scope of the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court and High courts should be clearly defined.