Following the conclusion of its leadership retreat and strategy workshop, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), Prof. Uju Agomoh has presented the first official report of the newly inaugurated Executive
Committee to the National Executive Committee (NBA-NEC), detailing the activities, engagements and policy directions of the Section within its first seven weeks in office.
The report, signed by Prof. Agomoh and SPIDEL secretary Enome Amatey, covers activities undertaken by NBA-SPIDEL from the November 2025 NEC meeting to date and marks the first formal account of the administration inaugurated on December 5, 2025, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
According to the report, the submission was in fulfilment of SPIDEL’s obligation to keep the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association informed of its progress, programmes and interventions during the early phase of its 2025–2027 tenure.
A major highlight of the report was the successful hosting of the NBA-SPIDEL Annual Conference held between December 1 and 5, 2025, at the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, under the theme “A Banner Without Stain: Justice, Accountability and Development.” The conference attracted delegates from across the Bar, the Bench, academia, civil society, government institutions and public interest groups, and was described as being marked by robust intellectual engagement, cultural warmth and a shared commitment to justice and national development. The opening ceremony featured goodwill messages, keynote interventions and technical sessions interrogating the state of justice, governance, public interest law and access to justice in Nigeria. Distinguished participants included the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON, represented by Hon. Justice Chidiebere Nwaoma, JSC, Hon. Justice Suleman Galadima, JSC (Rtd.), the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the then Chairman of NBA-SPIDEL, Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, the
keynote speaker, Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, keynote responder Prof. Stephen Shute, the Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, officials of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, senior lawyers, academics and public interest advocates.
The report disclosed that the conference featured eleven sessions with about eighty-six panelists and that deliberations centered on justice, accountability and development as the foundational pillars of public interest governance. At the end of the conference, far-reaching resolutions were adopted, including a renewed commitment by the NBA and its members to champion ethical leadership, transparency, integrity and
accountability, intensified advocacy by SPIDEL for justice-driven governance, rule of law compliance, judicial independence and accountability, and the continued deployment of litigation, civic engagement and policy dialogue to challenge abuses of power. The conference resolved that SPIDEL should develop anti-corruption frameworks at all levels of governance, called for an end to unconstitutional interference with local government funds, urged urgent reforms to address delays and inefficiencies in the justice system, and emphasized access to justice as a national development priority, particularly for indigent communities.
On legal aid and access to justice, the report revealed that the conference resolved that lawyers should be incentivized to participate in legal aid services, partnerships between NBA branches and the Legal Aid Council should be strengthened, public awareness of free legal services expanded, and government funding for legal aid increased. It further resolved that structured collaboration should be developed among SPIDEL, the NBA and the
Legal Aid Council to mobilize lawyers nationwide for pro bono services, ensure regional balance and support the National Legal Aid Strategy 2026–2036. On professional remuneration, the conference resolved that lawyers must strictly adhere to the 2023 Remuneration Order, warned that non-compliance would attract disciplinary consequences, and called for clarification of the discount protocol.
The report also reflected resolutions condemning the criminalization of civil wrongs through cybercrime laws, urging judicial courage against executive interference, calling for safeguards against unlawful detention, and committing SPIDEL to investigate and possibly petition over the detention of Mr. Chinedu Agu.
The report further detailed resolutions on custodial and correctional reforms, including the enforcement of non-custodial sentencing, prohibition of detaining minors with adults, improved custodial data management, and prioritization of rehabilitation and reintegration. It called for reforms to the Evidence Act to address
electronic evidence, establishment of a national digital justice framework, adoption of public-private partnerships for justice technology and institutional checks against resistance to digital reforms. On public interest litigation, accountability and transparency, the report reaffirmed SPIDEL’s commitment to collaboration with civil society, intervention in major national governance issues, and the duty of lawyers to defend public interest, speak truth to power and take up pro bono cases.
Extensive attention was also devoted to electoral justice and democratic governance, with resolutions calling for aggressive continuous voter registration, reforms to election litigation standards, introduction of independent candidacy, unbundling of INEC, expansion of the VAPP Act nationwide, insulation of electoral institutions from political manipulation, and prioritization of legal and policy reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections. The report also highlighted resolutions on strengthening zonal and regional development
commissions, deploying public interest litigation to protect equitable development, promoting territorial development planning, expanding regional knowledge exchange and deepening stakeholder engagement.
The report documented the 2025 NBA-SPIDEL Annual General Meeting held on December 4, 2025, where the new Executive Committee was approved by voice vote and inaugurated on December 5, 2025. It listed Prof. Uju Agomoh as Chair, Paul Daudu, SAN, as Vice Chair, Enome J. Amatey as Secretary, alongside other elected and co-opted members forming the 2025–2027
Executive Committee. It further detailed the composition and inauguration of the NBA-SPIDEL Development Committee and the Public Interest Litigation Committee, naming their leadership, members and advisers, including senior advocates, academics and public interest practitioners.
The report also highlighted SPIDEL’s courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State ahead of the annual conference, as well as its intervention at the Uyo Custodial Centre, where the Section donated a solar-powered borehole and solar lighting to the clinic, following approval of the intervention at the 2025 AGM. Training and
capacity building activities featured prominently, including a January 2026 online training on protest, torture, detention and shrinking civic spaces, which attracted over two thousand registrants, as well as a scheduled two-day workshop on tax reforms, public interest and development.
A substantial portion of the report was devoted to the NBA-SPIDEL Executive Committee Strategy Workshop held from January 22 to 24, 2026, in Abuja, which was opened by NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN. The workshop, attended by twenty-five of the twenty-nine Executive Committee members and several senior members of the Bar and development partners, focused on team cohesion, strategic alignment, stakeholder analysis, media initiatives, ethical standards, communication guidelines and implementation planning. The workshop resolved outstanding grievances among members, adopted key strategic documents,
approved new committees and task teams, endorsed media and rapid-response initiatives, and resolved to seek an NBA-NEC waiver to accommodate the position of a Public Relations Officer and additional co-opted members.
In conclusion, the report stated that the strategy workshop strengthened unity within the Executive Committee and set the tone for the delivery of its mandate, with members reaffirming their collective commitment to building NBA-SPIDEL into a credible, coordinated and impactful platform for advancing public interest and
development law in Nigeria. The report emphasized the resolve of the Agomoh-led Executive Committee to translate strategic plans into concrete action, work collaboratively with NBA leadership and other sections, and deliver on the promise of “One NBA,” before formally closing with appreciation to all contributors and stakeholders.
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