Private International Law and Teaching Methodology: A Nigerian Perspective

While there is a great deal of scholarly work on the role of private international law (PIL) in delivering seamless cross-border legal frameworks on civil and commercial matters, the inquiry into the teaching of PIL and how well the budding lawyers are being equipped to effectively respond to modern and emerging PIL issues have been largely ignored. This article seeks to fill this gap by interrogating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning PIL using Nigeria as a case study. The authors carried out empirical research through questionnaires administered amongst 75 undergraduate students from seven universities. The data collected from the empirical inquiry gives insights into the curriculum and teaching methodology of PIL in Nigeria. The paper argues that the existing curriculum and teaching methods cannot deliver transnational or global lawyers with the hands-on skills necessary to address modern PIL issues. Based on the findings from the research, the paper recommends a multi-method teaching approach with a strong emphasis on clinical education and comparative law.