The Chairman of the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Annual Conference Planning Committee, Sir Ejike Ezenwa, SAN, has called on legal practitioners and other stakeholders to strengthen their commitment to the rule of law, access to justice, democratic governance and national development. He made the call while delivering his welcome address at the 2026 NBA-SPIDEL Annual Conference, held on November 10, 2026, at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, under the theme, “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy & Development.”
Ezenwa described SPIDEL as the conscience of the legal profession, emphasising that the Bar must not remain silent when issues affecting the public interest arise. He noted that the three-day conference, featuring 17 technical sessions, would provide an important platform for legal practitioners, jurists, policymakers, scholars and civil society leaders to examine critical issues, including human rights, access to justice, electoral integrity, judicial independence and the role of law in national development. He also urged participants, particularly young lawyers, to engage actively in the discussions and emerge with renewed determination to deploy the law as an instrument of justice, democracy and sustainable development.
Read full statement below;
WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN, 2026 NBA-SPIDEL ANNUAL CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE, SIR EJIKE EZENWA, SAN, AT THE 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION SECTION ON PUBLIC INTEREST AND DEVELOPMENT LAW (NBA-SPIDEL)
THEME: “IN PUBLIC INTEREST: ADVANCING JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY & DEVELOPMENT”
@ THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE.
10TH NOVEMBER, 2026
My Lords ,the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices of the Supreme Court ,Court of Appeal, High Court and here present,
Your Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State, our gracious Host and Headline Sponsor,
The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
Our erudite Keynote Speaker, His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, former Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association,MrsOyi Badejo.The Chair of NBA-SPIDEL, Prof. Uju Agomoh,
Esteemed Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Benchers and distinguished Learned colleagues.
Distinguished members of the National Assembly, members of the Diplomatic Corps, development partners, civil society leaders and our valued guests.
It is with profound gratitude to God, and with great honour, that I stand before you this morning to welcome you all to the 2026 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law ( NBA-SPIDEL).
On behalf of the Conference Planning Committee( CPC& LOC), and indeed on behalf of the entire leadership of SPIDEL, I welcome you to Abia State. We are delighted that you honoured our invitation and travelled from far and near to be part of this gathering. Your presence here is a testimony to your commitment to public interest, to justice, and to the development of our dear nation.
We chose as our theme for this year: “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy & Development”deliberately.At a time when our nation is grappling with questions about the rule of law, access to justice, democratic governance, human rights, and sustainable development, the Bar cannot afford to be silent. SPIDEL was established to be the conscience of the profession — to speak, to act, and to intervene where the public interest is at stake. This conference is our opportunity to reflect, to interrogate, and to chart a course for action.
Over the next three days, we shall engage in 17 technical sessions, carefully curated to address the most pressing issues of our time. We shall discuss access to justice, deaths in custody, detention and human rights, disability rights, electoral integrity, the independence of the judiciary, the role of the Bar in a democracy, and the place of law in national development. They touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians every single day and are” In Public Interest “.
We are privileged to have with us an array of distinguished speakers, jurists, scholars, policymakers and activists who have devoted their lives to this cause locally and internationally. I have no doubt that their contributions will enrich our deliberations and inspire us to do more.
Let me, at this point, express our sincere appreciation to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State, and the Government and good people of Abia State, for being our headline sponsor and gracious host. Your support, Your Excellency, made this conference possible. We are truly grateful.
I also thank the President of the Nigerian Bar Association Mrs Oyinkasola- Badejo, all past Presidents of NBA here preset, the Chair of SPIDEL, Prof. Uju Agomoh,Our Leader Prof Paul Ananaba SAN and the entire National Executive Committee/ Council of SPIDEL for the confidence reposed in us. I thank the members of the Conference Planning Committee and the Local Organising Committee for their tireless work, sacrifice and dedication. This conference is the product of their commitment.
To our sponsors,donors, partners, exhibitors and volunteers.Thank you for standing with us and sharing our vision .
To our young lawyers, I say this specially: you are the future of public interest law. I urge you to participate fully, to ask questions, to network, and to make good of this opportunity. The future we are discussing here belongs to you.
Distinguished guests, learned colleagues, as we begin this conference, I invite you to engage with open minds and with courage. Let us speak truth to power where necessary, but let us also proffer solutions. Let us leave Umuahia with a renewed commitment to use the law as an instrument for justice, democracy and development.
Once again, I welcome you all to Umuahia. I wish you fruitful deliberations, a pleasant stay, and a safe journey back home at the end of the conference.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Sir Ejike Ezenwa, SAN
Chairman, 2026 NBA-SPIDEL Annual Conference Planning Committee