President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb, has urged the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law to intensify its role in advancing practical reforms on human rights and public-interest law.
The NBA President made the call when she received the leadership of NBA-SPIDEL at the NBA House in Abuja on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
The delegation was led by the Chair of SPIDEL, Associate Professor Uju Agomoh.
Although the engagement also focused on preparations for SPIDEL’s forthcoming 2026 conference in Umuahia, Abia State, discussions extended to some of the most pressing human-rights and justice-sector issues confronting the country.
Among the matters discussed were conditions in detention facilities, treatment of suspects by law-enforcement agencies, rights of persons with disabilities, children in conflict with the law and the protection of lawyers while carrying out their professional responsibilities.
Badejo-Okusanya urged the Section to use the influence and expertise of the legal profession to push beyond public condemnation of abuses and work towards changes in policies, procedures and institutional behaviour.
The intervention comes against the backdrop of renewed concern over deaths and alleged abuses involving persons in government custody.
The NBA President has repeatedly emphasised that the constitutional rights to dignity, life and fair treatment do not disappear because a person has been arrested or accused of an offence.
The latest engagement with SPIDEL therefore places the Section in a potentially important position in the Association’s public-interest agenda.
SPIDEL traditionally provides the NBA with a platform for engagement on governance, constitutionalism, human rights and development law.
A stronger emphasis on strategic litigation, monitoring, policy advocacy and institutional engagement could considerably expand that role.
The forthcoming Umuahia conference is also expected to provide another opportunity for lawyers and other stakeholders to examine how public-interest law can respond more effectively to systemic rights violations.
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SOURCE:
Law & Society Magazine
