Dearth of legal work stalls capacity building – NBA-SBL

The Nigeria Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) has said that the dearth of legal work is a factor that makes capacity building on the part of commercial lawyers in the country not fully achievable. The chairman of NBA-SBL, Mr. Olumide Akpata, speaking at the 11th Annual Business Law Conference of the section, added […]

The Nigeria Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) has said that the dearth of legal work is a factor that makes capacity building on the part of commercial lawyers in the country not fully achievable.

The chairman of NBA-SBL, Mr. Olumide Akpata, speaking at the 11th Annual Business Law Conference of the section, added that the SBL intends to fully focus on capacity building for the Nigerian commercial lawyer.

He said the SBL recognised that on-the-job training is one sure way of building capacity adding that it stands to reason therefore, that where there is a dearth of legal work, capacity building on the part of the commercial lawyer may not be fully achievable.

Akpata said many of the areas that form the core of commercial law practice today are not being taught in Nigerian universities, adding that SBL has commenced discussions with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) with a view to collaborating with that institution on the establishment of a Centre for Commercial Law Studies where some of those subjects would be taught.

Akpata said the SBL is mindful of the fact that there is a limit to what can be achieved through the three-day conference and as such the objective would be to “lay down markers with respect to the key issues and thereafter, take these forward through our committees that are the real drivers of the activities of the section.”

He said the SBL also resolved that, as a first step,  they will engage with all relevant stakeholders with a view to ensuring that where any law places certain categories of legal work within the exclusive purview of Nigerian lawyers, they should ensure that such laws are fully complied with.

 “This council has also resolved that it will be fully engaged in facilitating the ease of doing business in Nigeria. This position is informed by Nigeria’s persistently dismal ranking in the World Bank’s Index on Ease of Doing Business and it is also borne out of enlightened self-interest as we realise only too well that, where business is impeded, there will be little or no work for the business lawyer,” he said.