Lawyers, judges, academics and civil society leaders have adopted the Umuahia Declaration on Public Interest, Justice, Democracy and Development at the close of the 2026 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association – Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), calling on all arms of government to move from words to measurable action.
Gathered at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, from 9th to 13th November 2026 under the theme “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy and Development”, participants declared that the rule of law must remain the foundation of democratic governance, that no person or institution is above the Constitution, and that access to justice must not be determined by income, status, gender, disability or location. The Declaration commits NBA-SPIDEL and stakeholders to reforms on legal aid, digital justice, torture prevention, correctional and restorative justice, electoral justice, disability inclusion, and anti-corruption, including support for the National Legal Aid Strategy 2026–2036 and operationalisation of the Charter of Rights of Victims and Survivors of Torture.