By Awa  Kalu, SAN

The Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, was the fitting venue for the Centenary Law Summit carefully and brilliantly packaged by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies to celebrate this nation’s remarkable one hundred years of legal development.

The event drew a large attendance, from start to finish. In attendance at a colourful opening ceremony was the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan on whose watch the nation will celebrate its centenary in 2014.

Also on hand was the Senate President, David Mark, ably represented by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Our dear lady, Hon. Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, GCON current Chief Justice of Nigeria was in attendance, flanked by a former chief Justice of this great country, Hon. Justice S.M.A. Belgore, GCON.

Perhaps, Mr. Peter Obi, Governor of Anambra State being the only State Governor present would bear testimony to the heartwarming events of the day to his counterparts who obviously missed a historic occasion. It bears recalling that the President, on arrival at the event, visited an exhibition gallery mounted by the Institute in which the period 1914 to the present were depicted by photographs acknowledging the milestones.

Hon. Justice S.M.A Belgore made a presentation on Law and Society: 100 years of Legal development in Nigeria in the course of which the learned jurist traced the development of the court system in Nigeria from its origin to the present and thanked providence that he had played his part in shaping the judiciary from the humblest judicial office to the pinnacle of his career as the chief Justice of Nigeria.

His Lordship’s well researched presentation served as the first course of what later proved a multi-course intellectual feast. Next on the platter was a robustly delivered welcome speech by the Director-General of the Institute Professor Epiphany Azinge, SAN, an erudite scholar whose intellectual power and unwavering zeal has raised the tempo of academic activity at the Institute to a level that cannot but be commended.

The learned Professor prayed God Almighty to grant the President the enablement to steer the ship of this nation in the direction that will make it the envy of all. The learned Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the affable Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the Supervising Minister of the Institute was well acknowledged after his well articulated welcome address.

The learned Attorney-General’s invitation to Mr. President to address the audience and the President’s carefully delivered Address by which the summit was declared open, easily set the tone for other days of a brilliant exchange of ideas by some of the brightest minds from within and outside Nigeria.

It has to be noted that the summit was anchored on the theme Law and Society: 100 years of Legal Development in Nigeria interrogated under several sub themes including Law and Transformation Agenda, Law and Security, Law and Investment, Law and Good Governance, Law and Justice, Law and Religion, and Law and Agriculture. Other sub themes were Law and Global Peace, Law and Public Policy, Law and Gender, Law and Social Security, Law and Climate change and Law and Development.