Justice Odili gave the charge as Special Guest of Honour at the competition held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where she commended the NDDC for reviving and sponsoring the initiative.
By Frank Ulom
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Published on September 9, 2026
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4 min read
Retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Odili, has urged law students participating in the 2026 Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Annual Moot and Mock Trial Court Competition to embrace learning, discipline and practical experience as they pursue careers in the legal profession.
Justice Odili gave the charge as Special Guest of Honour at the competition held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where she commended the NDDC for reviving and sponsoring the initiative.
She said the competition would provide a major boost to legal education in the Niger Delta region and the country by exposing students to practical aspects of legal practice.
The 2026 competition brought together law students from more than 15 law faculties across the NDDC’s mandate states.
The initiative is designed to expose participants to practical skills required in legal practice, including human reasoning, advocacy, legal analysis, critical thinking, quick decision-making and an understanding of the principles and tenets of the legal profession.
While delivering her keynote address, Justice Odili urged the students to take full advantage of the platform provided by the competition to acquire practical experiences that could help them attain the highest levels of the legal profession.
She noted that academic knowledge alone was not enough to excel in legal practice, stressing the importance of discipline, continuous learning and practical exposure.
Declaring the competition open, Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the commission revived the moot court competition after it had been inactive for about eight years.
Ebie said the decision was aimed at developing young legal minds capable of shaping the future of the legal profession in the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
He said the commission had also invested substantially in foreign and local postgraduate scholarship programmes as part of efforts to expose students to quality education and prepare them for successful careers.
According to him, the primary purpose of the moot court competition was to provide participants with learning opportunities and practical experience.
The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, represented at the event by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to strengthening capacity in legal education in the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
Ogbuku said law remained critical to sustainable development, making it necessary to train lawyers who could contribute meaningfully to the development of the oil-rich region.
He also urged the participants to familiarise themselves with emerging trends in the legal profession, particularly artificial intelligence, to enhance their careers and enable them to compete effectively on the global stage.
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, described the NDDC’s moot court initiative as a valuable investment in legal education in Nigeria.
Akpata stressed the importance of advocacy in the legal profession, noting that practical experience was essential to effective legal practice.
He said the moot court competition would help students develop the ability to think on their feet, a skill he described as reflective of the demands of actual courtroom proceedings.
According to him, although artificial intelligence had become influential across several areas of life, the ability to reason, conduct research and present convincing arguments in court would continue to require dedication and hard work.
Akpata, who is the 30th President of the NBA, also called on law faculties across the Niger Delta to establish moot court competitions within their institutions to better prepare students for the demands of the legal profession.
The competition is expected to give participating students practical exposure to courtroom advocacy while strengthening their analytical, research and communication skills.
