When I was in my first year at the Faculty of law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, i heard so much about the Nigerian Weekly Law Report (NWLR) and so, i tried searching for detailed information about the publication on Google. But unfortunately, i didn’t see any online. I clicked almost all the websites in Google search engine but nothing significant came up.

Conversely, i decided to make a serious research about this law report and publish on my site (Bscholarly.com) so that other students like me can read. So actually, i will be disclosing everything i know about the Nigeria Weekly Law Report (NWLR) here. I enjoin you to read carefully and share with other law students in Nigeria and in Africa at large.

Also read:
How to become a successful lawyer in Nigeria
Richest lawyers in Nigeria 2019/2020
Most populated universities in Nigeria this 2020

About the Nigerian Weekly Law Report

Year of establishment: 1985
Founder: Late Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN (1938-2009).
Address: Nigerian Law Publications House, Otunba Jobi Fele Way, C.B.D., Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
Official website: https://nwlronline.com/
Email: [email protected]

Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR) is evidently the most popular and reliable law reporting company in Nigeria. It was established in 1985 by late Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN (1938-2009) to boost the effectiveness of law reporting in Nigeria. According to my research, before the inception of the activities of the Nigerian Weekly Law Report, there was the All Nigerian Law Report (All NLR) but the publication was not consistent. Thus, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN decided to start up the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR) so as to foster judicial precedent through law reporting.

It will surprise you to know that NWLR was the first of its kind in Nigeria and  Africa. From the name you can tell that its publication is on a weekly basis. Its maiden edition was released on Tuesday, 1st October 1985 with  the following message from the founder who also served as the founding Editor:

“NIGERIAN WEEKLY LAW REPORTS starts today, Tuesday the 1st of October, 1985. My aim is to make the laws of Nigeria available to all and sundry as quickly as possible. The decisions of the courts which constitute a fundamental part of our laws must be made more  readily accessible with a view to ensuring that the learned men at the Bar and on the Bench are more learned and the entire spectrum of the Administration of Justice more JUST.”

In my view, this is the best and most reliable law report in Nigeria. The truth is that, most of the recent law reports in Nigeria are not doing well. Some publish their reports with proper editing. For instance, the well known electronic law report, LawPavillion, usually publish court judgments with editing it. This is apparently not a good feature of a standard law report.

Legal researchers have corroborated that the dream of Late Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN (1938-2009) lives on in the publication after his demise. Up till date, the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports is still be best law report in Nigeria. Recently, they introduced the electronic version of the publication. Though, it is not fully launched yet. I strongly believe that in few years from now, it will become one of the best electronic law report in Africa.

MUST READ:
How to answer law problem questions using IRAC method
Sources of law in Nigeria

Who is Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN? 

According to Wikipedia, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN is popularly called (Gani). He was born on 22 April 1938. Gani was a well respected Nigerian author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, seasoned human and civil rights lawyer, politician and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. After reading law at the University of London in 1961, he returned to his father’s land, Nigeria, and was called to bar.

Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN served as the secretary of the legal practitioners disciplinary committee in 1971 – 1973. During his time, he was known in almost every part of the country as one of the outstanding lawyers who are into the business of ensuring that justice is done and is seen to have been done. In 1985, he started the publication of the Nigerian Weekly Law Report. This was due to his enthusiasm for the grouth of law in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN died of lung cancer in September 2009. He was 71 years old then. Later, he was buried on 15 September 2009 in his home town of Ondo, Nigeria.

Now that you know about the Nigerian Weekly Law Report (NWLR), here are some few questions many students/researchers ask about the Nigerian Weekly Law Report.

Is Nigerian Weekly Law Report (NWLR) the only law report in Nigeria?

The answer is No! The Nigerian Weekly Law Report is not the only law reporting company in Nigeria. But it is the best in Nigeria. As at the time this article was written, there are about 50 Law Reporting companies in Nigeria (Both Electronic and book publishers).

How can i get publications of the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports

As at 2017, the only way to get law reports of NWLR was via their address at Nigerian Law Publications House, Otunba Jobi Fele Way, C.B.D., Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. However, in 2018, the company open a website where they now sell their books. Conversely, you can buy any edition of the Nigerian Weekly Law Report from their official website. All you need is a credit card for payment online and it will be delivered to you.

Also read:
Exceptions to the rule in Adams v Lindsell
Characteristics of customary law in Nigeria

Okay! This is all i was able to get after a thorough research about the Nigerian Weekly Law Report (NWLR). Hope you enjoyed reading this very informative article. Well, if you still have questions or contributions to make about the Nigerian Weekly Law Report, do that using the comment box below.

Don’t forget to share this article and let other young lawyers/law students know about the Nigerian Weekly Law Report (NWLR).

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.