One Jurisprudence lecturer is cooking an exam question right now. “Discuss the jurisprudential implications of a company policy which requires all staff to address everyone by their first names irrespective of age and status, vis a vis the Nigerian culture on the subject.” Sample Answer (in bullet point): For something to be “law”, it must reflect the common conscience of the people — the volksgeist. Any law that commands something contrary to the volksgeist has no normative force because it does not bind the people in conscience. The volksgeist of the Nigerian people does not allow us to address elders by their first names. Any company policy that commands otherwise is bound to result in an abrasive conflict between what the people consider as right, and what the law says is right.