Former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has called on Nigerian lawyers to embrace emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), while strengthening their commitment to people-centred justice, democratic accountability and national development. He made the call while delivering the keynote address at the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Conference held on 10 November 2026 in Umuahia, Abia State, under the theme, “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy and Development.”
Osinbajo, who commended NBA-SPIDEL for keeping public interest and development at the forefront of legal discourse, stressed that the legal profession must move beyond traditional legal practice and recognise its responsibility as an instrument of social engineering. He highlighted the growing implications of AI for legal practice and employment, the need to make justice more accessible and affordable, declining public confidence in democratic institutions, and the protection of children from harmful technology.
He further urged the Nigerian Bar Association, law faculties, the Nigerian Law School and law firms to collaborate in redesigning legal education and professional training to prepare lawyers for the changing realities of the profession.