The Legal Education Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-LEC) has urged lawyers across the country to fully integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and human rights due diligence into their professional practice.
The Committee said that developing climate-competent lawyers is now a necessity for Nigeria, given the rapidly evolving global regulatory landscape on climate change, biodiversity, pollution control and sustainable development.
The call was made during the third edition of the NBA-LEC online seminar series on legal education, which had in attendance over 850 participants, including academics, students, practitioners, regulators and international experts.
As part of its wider mandate to strengthen legal education and professional development in Nigeria, the NBA-LEC has been hosting a series of webinars aimed at modernising teaching approaches, enhancing legal practice and preparing lawyers for the realities of contemporary challenges.
The Committee, inaugurated by NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), is chaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Prof Damilola Sunday Olawuyi (SAN).
In his opening remarks, Prof Olawuyi explained that the rapid incorporation of ESG standards into legislation, industry guidelines and contractual frameworks across the globe is reshaping the meaning of contractual due diligence and transforming the way law is taught and practiced.
“To be a competent lawyer in this rapidly changing regulatory landscape includes being commercially aware of climate and energy transition risks,” he declared.
He noted that the webinar series was designed to give stakeholders, especially law faculty’s, students and administrators, an opportunity to reflect on how legal education should be tailored to contemporary realities, with a strong focus on preparing graduates to provide risk-sensitive and sustainability-conscious legal advice.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Dean of the Essex Law School, University of Essex, Britain, Prof Onyeka Osuji, examined the nature, scope and application of ESG in transactional and regulatory contexts.
He stressed that the emerging ESG framework places additional duties on lawyers to acquire new knowledge, skills and professional dispositions, without which they risk offering incomplete or outdated legal advice.
He added that legal educators have a crucial responsibility to integrate practical ESG-related competencies into university curricula and bar training programmes.
The keynote was followed by a panel session moderated by Chairperson of the webinar Series Subcommittee of NBA-LEC and associate at Kenna Partners, Ms Ozioma Soludo.
The discussion featured distinguished panelists including the Chairperson of the NBA Section on Legal Practice and a seasoned arbitrator with over 40 years of experience, Mrs Folashade Alli (SAN); Professor of Energy, Climate and Environmental Law and Policy at Nile University of Nigeria, Ayodele Morocco-Clarke; and partner at the global law firm, Webber Wentzel and a member of the Business and Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), Paula-Ann Novotny.
The panelists dissected the concept of “climate-competent lawyering” from both Nigerian and global perspectives.
They highlighted the urgent need for universities and professional bodies to adopt climate change and ESG imperatives into their curricula and professional standards.
Discussions also drew comparative lessons from global best practices, while exploring challenges and opportunities for legal education in Nigeria.
Speakers agreed that lawyers have a growing role to play in advancing sustainability, regulatory compliance and responsible business conduct in line with international standards.
They also commended the NBA for providing a platform for deep reflection and knowledge-sharing on these issues.
Looking ahead, participants called for the swift implementation of the NBA Legal Education Endowment Fund as a strategic way to mobilise resources for infrastructure, technology and practice-focused training in Nigerian law faculties.
They encouraged law firms, companies and development partners to contribute to the fund to sustain such initiatives.
The workshop further recommended stronger collaboration between the NBA and law faculties, through joint research projects, tailored programmes, subsidised conferences and exchange platforms, all aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice in Nigerian legal education.
