The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has urged law students to harness their potential to drive development to the oil-rich Niger Delta region by shaping the future. Ogbuku made this remark on Tuesday while speaking at the 2024 Moot and Mock Trial Competition for Law Faculties in the Niger Delta region, held at the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Managing Director laid emphasis on the critical role of legal education and the legal profession in nation-building and community service. He encouraged those present to engage in intellectually stimulating arguments, highlighting the region’s peculiarities and canvassing solutions to guide future legislation and facilitate rapid development.
The NDDC boss said, “It is our belief in the NDDC that legal advocacy can play a significant role in pointing out the challenges of the Niger Delta region and proffering solutions to those challenges. The critically important role of Legal Education and the Legal profession in shaping our nation’s destiny cannot be over-emphasized.”
He reminded the young lawyers that they are the future of the profession and encouraged them to prove that their intellect is their ultimate weapon in the fight for their rights, rather than resorting to violence. The NDDC boss stated that his leadership has made educational development and human capacity-building key features in their policymaking, aiming to make a real difference in the lives of the Niger Delta people.
The Chairman Governing Board of the NDDC, Chiedu Ebie, while presenting weekly Law reports to Law Libraries of participating Schools, emphasized that the essence of the competition was to showcase the remarkable return on investment in the education of youths of the Niger Delta, not a winner-takes-all type competition.
Ebie highlighted the NDDC’s commitment to nurturing brilliant legal minds, equipping them to become champions of the region, armed with the powerful tools of their voice, intellect, and the law.
Special Guest of Honour and former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Onueze Okocha, SAN, pointed out the viability of the legal profession in Nigeria and a decline in standards.
Okocha blamed the decline in legal standards on broader societal challenges facing the country but assured that the Nigerian Bar Association is working to maintain discipline and uphold the rule of law.
It bears mentioning that thirteen Universities in the nine Niger Delta states will participate in the 2024 Moot Court competition, which aims to bring students into a healthy contest as they frame facts from legal issues peculiar to their socio-political environment.
