Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for Nigeria’s justice system to be redesigned around the needs and experiences of citizens.
He made the recommendation during the Nigerian Bar Association annual conference in Port Harcourt.
Represented by former Lagos State Attorney General Ade Ipaye, Osinbajo said reform should be driven by data, clear priorities and local ownership.
He urged justice institutions to collect better information on case resolution, legal needs and outcomes.
According to him, areas such as pre trial detention, small claims, first response mechanisms and legal assistance should receive early attention.
He said progress in those areas could build momentum for more difficult institutional reforms.
Osinbajo also called for justice reforms to be adopted and institutionalized by state governments rather than treated as temporary programmes.
He said the Nigerian Bar Association had an important role in policy development, professional training and access to justice.
The former Vice President urged the legal profession to strengthen continuous training in mediation, legal aid, technology and community justice.
He also described pro bono legal services as an important way to expand representation for citizens who could not afford lawyers.
Osinbajo said Nigeria’s large legal profession could provide a significant national legal aid resource if more lawyers treated pro bono work as a professional responsibility.
He argued that reform should move from institutional convenience toward citizen need.
The former Vice President described justice as a public good and challenged lawyers to maintain the profession’s historic role in defending constitutional government and citizens’ rights. He said a people centered justice system could improve transparency, strengthen government and make legal institutions more relevant to ordinary Nigerians
