A comparative appraisal of debt relief measures for no income no assets (NINA) debtors in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria currently has a non-functioning insolvency system; it is yet to record a successful insolvency case. This failure principally is attributable to the weak laws and enforcement policies in existence. The problem is exacerbated by burgeoning consumer debt in the formal sector. The causal factors for this increase in debt are negative economic growth indices such as rising inflation, interest rates and unemployment. With these indices predicted to worsen, a new Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) was proposed in 2016. The BIA seeks to regulate individual insolvency proceedings in Nigeria. However, the BIA (as currently conceptualized) does not make provision for debtors with neither income nor assets, often referred to as No Income No Assets (NINA) debtors who, it can be argued, are in the majority in the Nigerian state. The aim in this thesis is to propose debt relief measures that cater for NINA debtors in Nigeria. This proposal aims to prevent further discrimination against these debtors in terms of the current law and the proposed BIA. It envisages that catering for NINA debtors in Nigeria will boost the Nigerian government’s drive to encourage entrepreneurship. In providing for NINA debtors it will provide a safe landing for poor debtors in the event of entrepreneurial failure. The thesis achieves its stated aim by studying international principles and guidelines as espoused by leading bodies. Furthermore, the thesis performs a comparative analysis of relevant NINA provisions in South Africa, Sweden, France, Ireland and Canada. The thesis proposes amendments to the proposed BIA in light of the aforementioned analysis and posits that procedures that are formal and extra-judicial, which have no financial requirements and are easily accessible to debtors should be incorporated.