The Abia State Government has assured the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIdel) of full support for its forthcoming national conference scheduled to hold in the State in November.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Local Organizing Committee on Wednesday, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, said the conference would provide an opportunity to showcase the achievements of Governor Alex Otti, in justice sector reform.
“Abia State is now a headquarters of excellence. If you look at all that His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti is doing, you will see a clear map of excellence,” he said.
Uwanna disclosed that 17 new courthouses have been built and renovated across the state and that participants at the conference would be taken on a tour of the facilities.
He further announced that ahead of the conference, three critical justice sector bills would be signed into law by the Governor.
“One is an amendment to our Criminal Law. The second is an amendment to the Administration of Criminal Justice Law. The third, which is brand new, is our Restorative Justice Law. I dare say these three pieces of legislation will transform access to justice in our state,” he stated.
The Commissioner urged members of the LOC and Central Planning Committee to work hard to deliver an excellent conference, noting that Abia is warm, welcoming, and ready to host.
“Funding is usually an issue. Professor Agomoh has raised it with me and I have given a commitment on behalf of the Government of Abia State that our support will come well ahead of time,” he added.
Uwanna thanked members for volunteering their service and prayed for a successful conference.
SPIdel is the NBA’s platform for discourse on public interest, governance, access to justice, and constitutional development.
Speaking shortly has the Inauguration the chair NBA-SPIdel Dr. Uju Agomoh said its 2026 Annual Conference in Abia State will focus on strengthening public interest, democracy, and justice sector reforms in Nigeria.
She said the choice of Abia was deliberate to enable participants to have a first-hand assessment of the justice sector reforms under Governor Alex Otti.
“It is important to have a first-hand view of Abia State, the current administration, and all the impact it is making in the justice sector,” she said.
Dr. Agomoh explained that the conference will provide a platform to discuss how public interest drives justice administration, democracy, and national development.
“Everything must be in the interest of the people. We want to examine the dimension of public interest in terms of how we administer justice in Nigeria and from the perspective of democracy,” she stated.
She added that the conference will also examine how justice delivery can translate to the dividends of democracy and tangible development for citizens.
“Justice must be delivered in such a way that people feel the dividends of democracy, and in such a way that they also feel the impact of development” she said.
On the challenges of slow justice administration, Dr. Agomoh said SPIdel will use the conference to interrogate the root causes of delays and identify best practices.
“We are coming to see how we are advancing. What are the reasons we are having delays? Why are we having consistent problems? We want to identify best practices and the need for coordination across the various pillars within the justice sector,”she noted.
She, however, expressed optimism that the challenges were surmountable.
“We have a long way to go, but these are not things that are undoable. They are not things that are unachievable,”* she said.
Dr. Agomoh confirmed that both the Abia State Government and SPIdel are ready to host the conference and called on stakeholders to support the LOC.
“The government says they are ready to host, and SPIdel is ready to be here. We want everybody to put their hands together and ensure that we have an awesome conference. We are expecting participants from all over the world and different parts of Nigeria,” she concluded.
The 2026 NBA-SPIdel Annual Conference is expected to bring together legal practitioners, policymakers, civil society, and international delegates to Abia State.
Also speaking a former Chairman, NBA-SPIDEL & Member of SPIDEL Committee on Monitoring and Implementation of the National Legal Aid Strategy, Prof. Paul Ananaba, Representative of Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mr. Bamidele Ibikunle representing DG, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and Chairman 2026 SPIDEL Conference Planning Committee, Sir Ejike Ezenwa said that Abia State is expected to host not less than 2000 Lawyers across the Country and enjoined both the Local Organizing Committee and Conference Planning Committee to Mobilize NBA Members to the conference.
Responding on behalf of the Local Organizing Committee, the Solicitor-General of the State and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice, Mr. Paul Ogubunka commended the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chairman Nigeria Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law among other Executive Members of NBA-SPIDEL for finding them worthy to serve in that capacity and assured that they will work as a team to achieve a successful conference that the section and the State Government will be proud of.
The highlight of the Inauguration ceremony was the oath of Allegiance, group photographs and closing prayer by Dr. Nnenna Eboh, Member SPIDEL Executive Committee.
