Lawyers in the country have been urged to leverage on technology in order to achieve the objectives of the profession.
The call was made during the third plenary session of the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Owerri, Imo state by Gbenga Oyebode, director at MTN Nigeria and managing partner, Aluko & Oyebode.
Oyebode who was speaking on the theme, ‘Nigeria: Any Hope For An Industrial Revolution’ also called on the Nigerian Law School to review its curriculum in view of the fact that technology revolution has changed the modes of communication as well as acquisition of information.
He further advised that there is a habitual review of laws and regulation in the country to allow for purpose driven judiciary.
Another panellist, Oghenerume Rotimi, general manager, Commercial Legal, MTN Nigeria expressed optimism for an industrial revolution in Nigeria given the “success story of the decade” – Nigeria’s telecoms revolution. Rotimi alluded to fact that in 2001, mobile penetration in the country was just 1% and ten years later, it had grown to 66%, an unprecedented achievement for the sector.
“The boom in the telecoms space can be attributed to the deliberate strategy and focused commitment of all stakeholders. However, in view of rapid globalisation, there is need for our legal framework to be up-to-date and evolve with the changing landscape”, Rotimi said.
She commended the Lagos state government’s Public Private Partnership model that has provided all stakeholders with direction on payment of permits, right of Way and other issues whilst advocating for a conducive operating environment for the telecoms industry to blossom.
The Nigeria Bar Association’s annual general conference is a fora that brings lawyers, judges, and stakeholders within the legal profession to learn, network, exchange ideas, reflect upon and proffer solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting legal practice in Nigeria and the nation at large.