Nigeria’s institutional development cannot be separated from the strength of its knowledge base, lawyer and author, Dr Chris Onyemaechi Okoboh, has said, as he unveiled four new books and a new website in Abuja.

The event, which attracted politicians, academics, military officers, lawyers and other professionals, also saw Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Munir Nwoko, and former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, acquire 400 copies of the books in support of the author’s campaign to promote scholarship and reading culture.

The four books ; Maritime Law in Nigeria, Nigerian Property Management, Nigerian Risk Management and Arbitration in Nigeria — examine critical areas of law, commerce, institutional governance and dispute resolution.

Nwoko, who was Special Guest of Honour and represented Ganduje, Chairman of the occasion, described the publications as a celebration of knowledge, scholarship and endurance.

He said the books were sufficiently informative to deserve wider circulation in universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, libraries, political institutions and legislative bodies across the country.

The senator’s purchase of the 400 copies, made on behalf of himself and Ganduje, provided a major highlight of the ceremony.

Okoboh, who has authored 67 books spanning law, governance, risk management, biography and fiction, said his body of work was driven by one conviction: that nations are built on institutions and institutions depend on knowledge.

According to him, the four latest publications were the product of years of engagement with the legal and institutional frameworks underpinning Nigeria’s development.

He, however, expressed concern over the declining reading culture among Nigerian children and young people, blaming excessive social media use for diverting attention from books and intellectual development.

Okoboh called for concerted action by government and parents to reverse the trend, including legislation to regulate children’s access to social media.

“Through my writing, I speak for the voiceless and through books offer solutions and suggestions to challenges plaguing us daily as a people,” he said.

He said his books had addressed issues including injustice, oppression and human trafficking, stressing that knowledge remained essential to confronting societal challenges.

“It is fundamental that government through legislation and parents must work together to bring back the culture of reading in our society,” he said.

Reviewing Maritime Law in Nigeria, Dumebi Henry Emma-Dibia, Esq., highlighted the importance of stronger regulation of the maritime sector and better management of risks associated with maritime transactions.
He called for urgent reforms to address regulatory and operational challenges confronting the sector.

Another reviewer, Augusta Massey, Esq., examined Arbitration in Nigeria, emphasising the need to strengthen Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms as a more effective means of resolving commercial disputes.

She cited developments in the United Arab Emirates, Rwanda and Ghana as examples of jurisdictions where mediation and other ADR mechanisms have been deployed to improve dispute resolution.

The ceremony also featured the official unveiling of Okoboh’s website, further expanding the author’s platform for disseminating his works and engaging a wider audience.

The event ultimately became more than a book launch, with speakers linking the author’s publications to a broader question of how Nigeria can rebuild its institutions through scholarship, effective regulation and a renewed culture of reading.