The Federal Government has embarked on the reform of about 121-year-old Sale of Goods Act, which was introduced to Nigeria by the British Colonial Administration in 1893.
The reform of the law, which regulates the sale of goods transactions in the country, is being undertaken by the Law Reform Commission of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
At the workshop on the reform of the law on Tuesday, stakeholders commended the efforts towards putting in place a statute that conformed with the reality of modern changes in the society.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, who was represented at the event by his aide, Mr. Bola Odugbesan, reiterated that “delivery of quality law” was key to economic transformation of the country.
The minister, who declared the workshop open, also said, “The law regulating sale of goods in Nigeria is the Sale of Goods Act, 1893, which was introduced into Nigeria by our British colonial masters.
“The Act still operates in Nigeria as a statute of general application, even after our independence in 1960 up till today. It has neither been domesticated nor undergone any form of reform since its introduction into the country over 100 years ago.
“It is not in doubt that such a law needs a reform in order to bring it into conformity with modern changes in the society.”
The Chairman of the Law Reform Commission, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, said although states, such as Bayelsa, Benue, Abia, Lagos, Ogun and Ondo had enacted their own Sale of Goods Laws, “the provisions are the same in terms of substance with the 1893 Act.”
“The Sale of Goods Act, 1893, has been repealed in the United Kingdom where it was first enacted. The Sale of Goods Act, 1979, which is operational in the United Kingdom, has introduced amendments, including the regulation of the English Contract Law and the United Kingdom Commercial Law,” Osunbor added.
The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Justice Ibrahim Bukar, who was represented by Mr. Enenche Eleojo, applauded the proposed reform of the law and such other statues, which he said, were still retaining currencies that were no longer in use in the country.
On his part, the anchor person of the proposed reform, Prof. Olanrewaju Adeojo, of the Faculty of Law, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, expressed hope that there would be a common Sale of Goods Law at the regional level as obtainable in some francophone states.
