Abia State Governor Alex Otti has called on lawyers to embrace technology, keep updating their knowledge and stay relevant in their professional duties. He spoke at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.
The four-day conference, running from November 10 to 13, has the theme “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy and Development.” The Abia State Government is co-hosting.
Digital Courts on the Way
“Technology is changing the world, and we must be prepared to move with it,” Otti said. In a few days, his administration will commission 10 newly constructed digital court halls across Abia.
They are equipped with renewable energy, digitalised systems, broadband connectivity and digital court records to make judicial administration more efficient. He added that the state plans to flag off construction of new courts with 1,000-capacity auditoriums in Aba and Umuahia.
A Call to Serve Those Who Cannot Pay
Otti urged lawyers to go the extra mile and asked how they can serve those who cannot pay, the vulnerable and those who cannot help themselves. He said roads, schools, hospitals and electric buses are the visible parts of governance, but the rule of law and the protection of citizens’ rights matter just as much, even if they are less visible.
To that end, he has directed the Attorney-General to work with the Chief Judge so that no one is held in a correctional facility without lawful justification. He also asked him to intervene in the cases of two young Abia women, one remanded by a Magistrate Court and the other detained in Lagos.
Thanks and Closing Remarks
Otti thanked the NBA, led by Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), for choosing Abia as host, and former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) for the keynote address. Osinbajo named expensive legal services, prolonged court proceedings, judicial corruption and impunity as major obstacles to access to justice.
The legal profession, Otti said, must remain a force for justice, the protection of fundamental rights and the advancement of society
