The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has released its official communiqué from the 67th Annual General Conference (AGC), held from August 22 to 29, 2025, at the International Conference Centre in Enugu. Themed “Stand Out, Stand Tall,” the conference brought together leaders from the Bar and Bench, industry captains, political figures, international partners, and civil society to deliberate on how the legal profession can address Nigeria’s and Africa’s pressing challenges.
The communiqué opens with highlights from the event, noting the opening remarks by His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, CFR, the Sultan of Sokoto, who chaired the ceremony. He emphasized law’s central role in ensuring societal order, justice, and peace, urging lawyers to champion reforms that expand social justice and improve access for vulnerable groups.
Keynote speaker Hon. Julius Malema, MP, leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters, added a continental perspective. He challenged African lawyers to decolonize their legal systems, reject oppressive colonial frameworks, and build legal traditions rooted in African dignity and cultural identity. The communiqué reflects his message, warning that “African lawyers are mainly mere enforcers of outdated systems” and calling for bold innovations in governance, justice, and economic emancipation.
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Declaring the conference open, Enugu State Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah welcomed more than 20,000 delegates, praised the NBA’s choice of Enugu as host, and pledged his administration’s support for justice sector reforms.
The communiqué consolidates deliberations from various sessions into 51 key observations, capturing the breadth of issues confronting Nigeria and the wider continent:
Beyond these sectoral issues, the communiqué reiterates that effective lawyering requires discipline, foresight, resilience, and mentorship (2.11–2.13). It emphasizes that excellence must remain grounded in diligence and integrity, regardless of reforms (2.14). The NBA further called for stronger collaboration among African nations (2.10) and urged the legal profession to take the lead in driving reforms and championing social justice (2.4).
