--- title: Error of Law on the Face of the Award – the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 Comes to the Rescue description: One of the thorniest questions in the field of international arbitration is the question of whether, and to what extent, national courts, when called upon to set aside an arbitral award or to refuse its recognition and enforcement, can undertake a review of the arbitral award on the merit. ... In the context of domestic or Nigeria-seated international arbitrations, this controversy finds expression in the phrase, “error of law on the face of the award” and has inhibited the growth and development of the field of commercial arbitration in Nigeria for decades. This article explores how the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 appears to have, in one stroke, laid the controversy to rest in Nigeria. image: https://insights.afriwise.com/hubfs/Pictures/Skylines/Nigeria/NIGERIA-iStock-1327688087.jpg --- [![Afriwise](https://insights.afriwise.com/hubfs/Logos/Afriwise/Afriwise%20logo.svg)](https://afriwise.com/) - [Products](https://afriwise.com/law-products-africa/) - [Countries](https://afriwise.com/countries-covered/) - [About Afriwise](https://afriwise.com/about-afriwise/) - [Contact](https://afriwise.com/contact/) - [News](https://news.afriwise.com/) - [Insights](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog) [Schedule a demo](https://afriwise.com/contact/) [Log in](https://afriwise.com/login/) - [Products](https://afriwise.com/law-products-africa/) - [Countries](https://afriwise.com/countries-covered/) - [Solutions](https://afriwise.com/solutions/) - [About Afriwise](https://afriwise.com/about-afriwise/) - Insights - [Contact](https://afriwise.com/contact/) - [News](https://news.afriwise.com/) [Schedule a demo](https://afriwise.com/contact/) [Log in](https://afriwise.com/login/) # Error of Law on the Face of the Award – the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 Comes to the Rescue [Nigeria](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/nigeria) [Dispute Resolution](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/dispute-resolution) 2/11/2023 [Templars](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/author/templars) This publication by Templars Partner, Adewale Atake, SAN, and Senior Associate, Orji A. Uka, highlights the transformative provision in the AMA regarding recourse against arbitral awards. It focuses on the defence of “error of law on the face of the award” and its effects on arbitration practice in Nigeria.      One of the thorniest questions in the field of international arbitration is the question of  whether, and to what extent, national courts, when called upon to set aside an arbitral  award or to refuse its recognition and enforcement, can undertake a review of the arbitral  award on the merit. The posterchild for this controversy is the oft-cited case of Dallah v.  Pakistan where the UK Supreme Court1 and the Paris Cour d’Appel, within three months of  each other, arrived at two contradictory decisions on the enforceability of an arbitral  award rendered against the Government of Pakistan. The conflicting decisions stemmed  from the varying degree of review of arbitral awards permitted under both legal systems.    In the context of domestic or Nigeria-seated international arbitrations, this controversy finds  expression in the phrase, “error of law on the face of the award” and has inhibited the  growth and development of the field of commercial arbitration in Nigeria for decades. This  article explores how the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 (the “AMA”)3 appears to have,  in one stroke, laid the controversy to rest in Nigeria.      [Read the full publication here. ](https://www.templars-law.com/app/uploads/2023/10/Error-of-Law-on-the-Face-of-the-Award-The-Arbitration-and-Mediation-Act-2023-Comes-to-the-Rescue.pdf)     -- Read the original publication at [Templars.](https://www.templars-law.com/knowledge-centre/error-of-law-on-the-face-of-the-award-the-arbitration-and-mediation-act-2023-comes-to-the-rescue/) ## Related posts [Nigeria](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/nigeria) [Tax](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/tax) [Regulations](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/regulations) ## [Tax Regulations in Nigeria: Understanding the Impact of Recent Reforms](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tax-regulations-in-nigeria-understanding-the-impact-of-recent-reforms) There is a current shift in the tax administration system in Nigeria which is observed in the promulgation and reform of existing regulations in recent months. 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[Read More](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/error-of-law-on-the-face-of-the-award-the-arbitration-and-mediation-act-2023-comes-to-the-rescue) [Nigeria](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/nigeria) [Dispute Resolution](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/dispute-resolution) [Rules](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/rules) [Supreme Court](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/tag/supreme-court) ## [Overview of the New Supreme Court Rules, 2024: A Step in the Right Direction](https://insights.afriwise.com/blog/overview-of-the-new-supreme-court-rules-2024-a-step-in-the-right-direction) The Supreme Court Rules, 2024 effectively repealed and replaced the longstanding Supreme Court Rules of 1985. The 2024 Rules have already sparked considerable interest within legal circles, particularly among practitioners in Nigeria's dispute resolution landscape. In lig.. 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