NBA Garki Branch YLF Hosts Maiden Law and Inclusive Development Summit: Young Lawyers Urged to Lead Transformative Change
The Young Lawyers Forum (YLF) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Garki Branch (Liberty Bar), has made a bold entry into the national legal policy space with its inaugural Law and Inclusive Development Summit, held in Abuja on Wednesday, 4th June 2025.
Themed “Setting the Pace: Young Lawyers as Drivers of Transformative Change,” the summit brought together legal luminaries, policymakers, and young professionals committed to shaping a more inclusive legal system.
The event was chaired by the Honourable Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, and featured a high-powered guest list including Moyosore Jubril Onigbanjo, SAN, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State; Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN; Adamson Adeboro, SAN, and respected members of the legal and academic communities.
Institutionalizing Youth Participation in Legal Policy
One of the summit’s focal moments came during a panel discussion titled “Institutionalizing Youth Legal Participation: Bridging the Gap Between Legal Training and Policy Influence.” In a stirring address, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, emphasized the Nigerian Bar Association’s evolving commitment to youth inclusivity.
Referencing the transition from a delegate system to universal suffrage in NBA elections, Akinboro described it as a watershed reform designed to give young lawyers a stronger voice in Bar leadership.
“Ask those who want to lead you: What have you done? What do you intend to do? What impact will it have on young lawyers?” he charged the audience.
He further advocated for increased representation of young lawyers in the NBA’s National Executive Council (NEC), stressing that genuine youth participation is vital to policies that reflect the realities of the next generation of legal professionals.
Dynamic Leadership and Capacity Building
Reflecting on his tenure as Chairman of the NBA Abuja Branch, Akinboro shared how over 600 young lawyers were trained under his leadership—at little or no cost to the beneficiaries.
Collaborating with organizations such as Alpha Juris and LawQuest, he recounted negotiating free training in return for licensing opportunities—a creative, low-cost model that other branches could emulate.
“Many of those lawyers trained during that period are now respected leaders in their fields,” he noted, urging the Bar to commit more actively to the practical development of young professionals.
A Call for Responsibility, Integrity, and Merit-Based Leadership
In a no-holds-barred interaction with attendees, Akinboro addressed the dual responsibility of the NBA and its members. While the Bar must prioritize member welfare, lawyers themselves, he said, must be accountable and engaged.
“We must not always ask what the Bar is doing for us. We are the Bar, and we are in a position to shape its direction.”
He warned against the dangerous trend of tribal, regional, or gender-based bias in leadership selection, arguing that competence must be the sole criterion.
“You don’t refuse to vote for someone as chairman of a branch because they’re not an indigene or because she’s a woman. Likewise, you don’t vote for someone simply because she is a woman. Leadership should be based on competence, not tokenism or bias.”
He praised the current NBA leadership under Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, whose rise through the ranks—from branch chairman to General Secretary—he said, reflects the benefits of merit-based progression and grounded experience.
Ending Favoritism: Towards a Reimagined Bar
In his final remarks, Akinboro decried the entrenched culture of political favoritism in NBA committee appointments.
“We need to stop putting round pegs in square holes. The Bar must prioritize merit over favoritism if we want to thrive.”
He concluded with a stirring call to action: lawyers must commit to reinventing the profession by leading with vision, equipping themselves, and holding the Bar—and each other—accountable.
Setting the Pace for the Future
The Law and Inclusive Development Summit 2025 by the NBA Garki Branch YLF has undoubtedly set a high benchmark for future initiatives. More than just another professional gathering, it served as a rallying call for young lawyers to recognize their role not as passive beneficiaries, but as active architects of a more just, inclusive, and professional legal community.
The summit reaffirmed one powerful truth: Young lawyers are not just the future of the Bar—they are its present. And the time to lead is now.
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