NDDC Boss, Ogbuku tasks young lawyers on harnessing intellectual prowess to drive sustainable development in N’Delta

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt

Young lawyers in the nine Niger Delta states have been urged to harness their intellectual prowess to drive sustainable development and shape the future of the region.

Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Samuel Ogbuku gave the charge at the 2024 Moot and Mock Trial Competition for Law Faculties in the region, on Tuesday at the Nigerian Law School, Port Harcourt.

Ogbuku in his remark at the event said the critical role of legal education and the legal profession in nation-building and community service.

He charged participants to engage in intellectually stimulating arguments, highlighting the region’s peculiarities and canvassing solutions to guide future lawmaking, facilitating even and rapid development.

“It is our belief in the NDDC that legal advocacy can play a significant role in highlighting the challenges that bedevil the Niger Delta region and proffering solutions to those challenges.

“The critically important role of Legal Education and the Legal profession in shaping our nation’s destiny cannot be over-emphasized. Law and the legal profession will continue to play definitive roles in nation-building and community service,” he explained.

Ogbuku reminded the young lawyers that they are the future of the profession and encouraged them to prove that their intellect is the most potent weapon to fight for their rights, rather than resorting to violence.

The NDDC boss stated that his leadership has made educational development and human capacity-building key policy thrusts, aiming to make a real difference in the lives of the Niger Delta people.

While presenting educational support materials and weekly Law Report to Law Libraries of participating Schools, the Chairman Governing Board of the Commission, Chiedu Ebie, emphasized that the competition’s essence is not solely to produce a winner, but to showcase the remarkable return on investment in the education of Niger Delta youths.

He highlighted the NDDC’s commitment to nurturing brilliant legal minds, equipping them to become champions of the region, armed with the powerful tools of their voice, intellect, and the law.

The Chairman encouraged participants to embrace the platform as an opportunity to demonstrate their exceptional abilities, pledging the NDDC’s continued support for excellence in legal advocacy.

Also, the Special Guest of Honour OCJ Okocha, who is the 19th President of the NBA, expressed pride in the viability of the legal profession in Nigeria, while acknowledging a decline in standards.

Okocha highlighted two pressing concerns: the decline of standards in the legal profession and the proliferation of development agencies in Nigeria.

Okocha attributed the decline in legal standards to the broader societal challenges facing Nigeria but assured that the NBA is working to maintain discipline and uphold the rule of law.

He also expressed concerns about the replication of development agencies like the NDDC in other zones, warning that it may lead to politicization and diversion of attention from the NDDC’s unique mandate to address the specific challenges of the oil-producing Niger Delta region.

Okocha emphasized the importance of preserving the NDDC’s focus and funding, given the region’s exclusive status, and urged caution against neglecting the Niger Delta’s peculiar challenges.

Meanwhile, 13 Universities in the nine Niger Delta states will participate in this year’s Moot Court competition as it intends to bring the students in a healthy contest and frame facts from legal issues peculiar to the socio-political environment of the region.