Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has called for a people-centred approach to justice reform.
He urged stakeholders to redesign Nigeria’s justice system around the needs and experiences of citizens.
Osinbajo made the call on Tuesday, during a panel session at the ongoing 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The former vice president who was represented by a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said justice reform should be driven by data, clear prioritisation and local ownership.
He urged stakeholders to begin by collecting data on justice needs, case resolution and outcomes, stressing that “what is measured is what gets funded and fixed.”
Osinbajo identified pre-trial detention, small claims, first-response mechanisms and legal assistance as areas requiring priority attention, saying early successes in these areas could build momentum for more complex reforms.
He also called for justice reforms to be domesticated and adopted by state governments and embedded in institutions, rather than treated solely as government initiatives.
Osinbajo charged the legal profession, particularly the NBA, to take a leading role in policy development, professional training and reforms aimed at expanding access to justice while upholding quality and ethical standards.
He urged the NBA to promote continuous professional development in mediation, legal aid, legal technology and community justice, while helping to collect data on citizens’ justice needs and advocating improved funding for the justice sector.
The former vice president further identified pro bono legal services as a critical instrument for widening access to justice.
He said that the Nigeria’s large legal profession, if it takes its pro bono obligations seriously, could establish a significant national legal aid mechanism for citizens unable to afford legal representation.
According to him, the central question was no longer whether Nigeria needed justice reform, but whether stakeholders were prepared to redesign the system from the perspective of those who needed it most.
“The people-centred approach asks us to move from abstraction to reality, from system convenience to citizen need, from exclusive pathways to inclusive ones,” he said.
Osinbajo described justice not merely as an institutional function but as “a living public good,” recalling the role lawyers played in Nigeria’s struggle for independence and the fight against military rule.
He challenged the present generation of lawyers to ensure that the law continues to serve and protect citizens.
“It falls to our generation today to prove that law can give service to the people, all of the people,” he said.
Osinbajo maintained that a people-centred justice system would strengthen government, enhance the relevance and transparency of the legal profession, and provide greater protection for citizens.