Esther Apio

Nigerian women have played prominent roles in history like Queen Amina of Zaria, HajiaSawaboGambo, Margaret Ekpo, and Funmilayo Ransom-Kuti. However, gender parity in post-independence politics has been a goal yet to be achieved due to factors with roots in cultural, traditional and religious discrimination. This has hampered full women participation & representation in Nigerian politics. Uganda has made better progress, in contrast to the Nigerian experience.Nigeria is ranked 33 in the female gender inequality index; Uganda is number 5 in the list.The objective of the research was to identify factors that made Uganda better. Trends in other jurisdictions were also analyzed. The doctrinal approach as well as interview was utilized. The finding was that 1995 Ugandan Constitution provided gender quota assuring gender equality, positive government policies and the political will and commitment demonstrated by government. Recommendations made include that the Nigerian Constitution should be amended to provide a quota for gender representation by political parties, elective positions and appointive positions in Nigeria, that Cultural and religious barriers to women participation in politics should be addressed by mass enlightenment to change public bias, engagement with traditional and religious leaders and enlisting civil society groups in the discourse.

This study is premised on the increasing relevance of intellectual property rights and the concomitant growth of intellectual property law. This trend is likely to continue and intellectual property rights will be increasingly affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, despite the assumption that certain intellectual creations are not intended to be used in such situations. It is important to protect these rights so that they are not lost through disregard or ignorance during times of war. On the other hand, there may be circumstances in which it is in the interest of humanity that intellectual property rights be limited or overridden to facilitate the flow of information or to ensure that necessary products are available at affordable prices. To strike an appropriate balance it is important to understand the relations between intellectual property rights and international humanitarian law from both protective and derogatory viewpoints. Furthermore, the application of intellectual property rights has the potential to both alleviate or aggravate a conflict situation or the suffering of victims, and understanding how this can be either avoided or encouraged is crucial.