Osinbajo: Advocates People-Centred Justice Reform at NBA

• Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo advocated for a people-centred approach to justice reform at the 66th NBA Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
• Osinbajo stressed that justice reform must be driven by data, strategic prioritization, and local ownership, urging stakeholders to gather data on justice needs and outcomes.
• He identified key areas for reform, including pre-trial detention, small claims, first-response mechanisms, and legal assistance, suggesting early successes could build support for broader changes.
• The former Vice President called upon the Nigerian Bar Association and legal professionals to champion continuous professional development in mediation, legal aid, and legal technology, and to advocate for increased sector funding.
• Osinbajo highlighted pro bono services as crucial for expanding access to justice, suggesting Nigeria's large legal profession could provide a significant national legal aid mechanism.

He articulated this shift as moving "from abstraction to reality, from system convenience to citizen need, from exclusive pathways to inclusive ones," viewing justice not merely as an institutional function but as "a living public good."

Former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, recently called for a fundamental shift in Nigeria's judicial system, advocating for a people-centred approach to justice reform. Speaking at a panel session during the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Osinbajo, who was represented by Ade Ipaye, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, emphasized the critical need for stakeholders to reorient the justice system around the actual needs and experiences of its citizens.

This advocacy for a citizen-centric justice system, according to Osinbajo, is essential for strengthening governmental institutions and empowering the legal profession to offer more robust protection to the populace. He underscored that such a system would not only enhance the transparency of the legal profession but also serve the broader interests of everyone by ensuring justice is accessible and responsive to the public.

Professor Osinbajo outlined several key pillars for effective justice reform, stressing that any meaningful change must be data-driven, strategically prioritized, and locally owned. He urged stakeholders to commence by meticulously gathering data on justice needs, the efficiency of case resolution, and the ultimate outcomes, asserting that "What is measured is what gets funded and fixed." This data-driven approach, he explained, would enable the identification and prioritization of areas where reforms could yield the most significant impact, such as addressing issues in pre-trial detention, small claims, first-response mechanisms, and legal assistance.

Achieving early successes in these targeted areas, Osinbajo noted, could build momentum and support for more complex reforms. He further highlighted that justice reform initiatives would prove more effective if they are domesticated and adopted by state governments, becoming deeply embedded within institutions rather than being perceived solely as a government-led undertaking. The former Vice President specifically tasked the Nigerian Bar Association and its members with actively driving policy formulation, professional development, and reforms aimed at broadening access to justice while simultaneously upholding rigorous quality and ethical standards within the profession. This includes championing continuous professional development in areas like mediation, legal aid, legal technology, and community justice, alongside advocating for increased funding for the entire justice sector and assisting in data collection on Nigerians' justice needs.

A significant component of Osinbajo's vision for people-centred justice reform involves the expansion of pro bono legal services. He identified pro bono work as one of the most vital tools for widening access to justice, suggesting that if Nigeria's substantial legal profession were to seriously commit to its pro bono obligations, it could establish a comprehensive national legal aid mechanism for citizens unable to afford legal representation.

Osinbajo posited that the central question is no longer whether Nigeria requires justice reform, but rather whether stakeholders are prepared to fundamentally redesign the system from the perspective of those who need it most. He articulated this shift as moving "from abstraction to reality, from system convenience to citizen need, from exclusive pathways to inclusive ones," viewing justice not merely as an institutional function but as "a living public good." Drawing parallels to the historical role of lawyers in Nigeria's struggle for independence and against military rule, Osinbajo challenged the current generation of legal professionals to ensure that the law continues to serve and protect all citizens, stating, "It falls to our generation today to prove that law can give service to the people, all of the people."

This article signals a strong push from a prominent legal figure for Nigerian lawyers and the NBA to actively engage in and drive justice sector reforms, particularly focusing on data-driven approaches, pro bono services, and expanding access to justice. Lawyers should monitor these discussions for potential policy shifts, new professional development opportunities in areas like legal tech and mediation, and increased expectations for pro bono contributions.

Source: Original reporting via Punch Newspapers