Law teachers, jurists, policymakers, law students, lawmakers, and legal practitioners across the country will gather in Abuja for the 56th annual conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT).
The conference, slated for October 26 to 30, will be hosted by the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Conference Chairman, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, said the event will be held under the theme “Law, National Development and Economic Sustainability in a Globalised World.”
Prof. Abugu, who doubles as Dean, Faculty of Law, UniAbuja, said agriculture and food security, Artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, legal reforms, and Nigeria’s national development will take centre stage at the event.
The don said the conference, which will have five plenaries and several keynote speakers, will provide a platform for robust intellectual engagement on the role of law in driving Nigeria’s economic growth and sustainable development in an increasingly interconnected world.
His words: “This conference aims to give voice to critical reforms and emerging issues that affect Nigerians. Our focus is not only on discussion but on pushing for urgent policy and curriculum changes that can accelerate national development.”
According to him, the conference will explore how law teaching and legal scholarship can respond to Nigeria’s complex realities, including corruption, insecurity, weak institutions, and the lack of access to quality education.
He emphasised that the legal community must begin to embrace emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and biotechnology to make law teaching more responsive to the needs of society and align with global trends.
“We believe law teaching can play a transformative role. For example, anti-corruption education, ethics in legal training, and tech-driven legal instruction can help tackle issues like corruption and brain drain,” he added.
Prof. Abugu further explained that the conference will advocate curriculum reforms that make legal education more relevant and practical, technology integration to improve access to legal training, capacity building for law teachers through continuous professional development, and partnerships and collaborations with legal institutions and industries to enhance skill-based learning.
Through these approaches, he noted, Nigerian law faculties can contribute meaningfully to national policy, social justice, and economic growth.
He said the conference will feature paper presentations, panel discussions on AI, biotechnology, environmental law, and human rights, as well as side events such as student forums and legal education workshops.
In his remarks, the President of NALT and Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Prof. John Akintayo, noted that the annual conference remains the most important intellectual gathering of law teachers in the country, providing a space to exchange ideas, review emerging trends, and propose innovative solutions to national and global challenges.
Prof. Akintayo stressed that the Association is working closely with relevant stakeholders, including the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Council of Legal Education, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to improve the quality and relevance of legal training in the country.
He also highlighted the need for greater investment in research and innovation within law faculties, especially in emerging areas such as environmental governance, digital economy regulation, and intellectual property protection.
