The Doctrine of Privity of Contract under Nigerian Law

Welcome back to the channel, everyone! If you are diving into the world of contracts, whether you're a law student, a business owner, or just curious about how agreements work in Nigeria, today's video is for you. We are breaking down one of the foundational principles of contract law: privity of contract. Imagine this—you sign a deal with someone, but a third party tries to jump in and enforce it or sue you over it. Does that fly under Nigerian law? Spoiler: Probably not, thanks to privity. Rooted in English common law and adopted here through leading cases like Chuba Ikpeazu v. African Continental Bank [1965] NMLR 374, where the Supreme Court upheld that a third party cannot enforce a contract they're not part of and LSDPC & Anor v. Nigerian Land & Sea Foods Ltd (1992) LPELR-1744(SC), which reinforced the doctrine by stating that only actual parties have rights and obligations under an agreement. But are there exceptions? Like agency, trusts, or even statutory tweaks? Stick around as we unpack the rules, real-world examples from Nigerian courts, and why this matters for your everyday deals. If you find this helpful, hit that like button, subscribe for more legal insights, and drop a comment below: What's your biggest contract question? Let's get into it!