By Daniel Abia, Port Harcourt
Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has called for a people-centred approach to justice reform, urging stakeholders in Nigeria’s judiciary to reposition the justice system to better serve citizens.
Osinbajo made the call 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 is a professor of law, expressed optimism that a justice system centred on the needs of citizens would strengthen governance, enhance the relevance of the legal profession and provide greater protection for Nigerians.
Represented at the session by a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, Prof. Ade Ipaye, Osinbajo said justice reform should be driven by data, prioritisation and local ownership.
He urged stakeholders to begin by gathering reliable data on justice needs, case resolution and outcomes, noting that “what is measured is what gets funded and fixed.”
Osinbajo also advocated prioritising areas where reforms could have the greatest immediate impact, including pre-trial detention, small claims, first-response mechanisms and legal assistance.
According to him, early successes in these areas could help build public confidence and support for more complex reforms.
He said justice reform would be more effective when it was domesticated, adopted by state governments and embedded in institutions, rather than treated solely as a government initiative.
The former Vice President charged the legal profession, particularly the NBA, to play a leading role in driving policy, professional development and reforms aimed at expanding access to justice while maintaining professional and ethical standards.
He urged the NBA to promote continuous professional development in areas such as mediation, legal aid, legal technology and community justice.
Osinbajo also called for improved data collection on Nigerians’ justice needs and greater advocacy for increased funding of the justice sector.
He identified pro bono legal services as one of the important instruments for widening access to justice, particularly for citizens who cannot afford legal representation.
According to him, a legal profession of Nigeria’s size, if it took its pro bono obligations seriously, could provide a significant national legal aid mechanism for indigent citizens.
The former Vice President said the central issue 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 said justice should not be viewed merely as an institutional function, but as “a living public good.”
He recalled the role lawyers played in Nigeria’s struggle for independence and the fight against military rule, urging the present generation of lawyers to ensure that the law continued 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 transparency and relevance of the legal profession, and provide greater protection for citizens.
“That surely is in everyone’s interest,” he added.
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