ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PRACTICE IN NIGERIA AND THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The current pandemic has impacted almost all facets of human existence to the extent that even time itself has been split into pre and post Covid-19 periods. We now remember nostalgically how things were done prior to the pandemic; strive to cope with the new realities occasioned by the outbreak; and imagine how things will be in the post Covid-19 world. The Dispute Resolution space is one of those areas of our existence that has been impacted by the pandemic. Our justice system was out to a complete halt and as a result, pending cases went from bad to worse. This paper therefore examined the impact of the lockdown on our justice system and how mediation experts used technology to enhance our traditional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in a bid to bridge the gap. The study found that despite the impact of the pandemic, mediation practitioners and institutions including national courts have devised creative ways of continuing dispute resolution proceedings through the instrumentality of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). The study strongly recommended that the Arbitration and Conciliation Act be amended to give room for the regulation of ODR.