By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

The Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) has called for the development of entrepreneurial skills for serving and retired political appointees, with a particular focus on soft skills for judges, to provide them with sustainable options after leaving office.

This was outlined in a communiqué issued following a retreat held by IST members in Kaduna. The retreat, themed “Value Addition to IST through Legal Research, Reasoning, and Entrepreneurial Skills”, was aimed at enhancing capacity and promoting value in the Tribunal’s operations. The communiqué was released to journalists by IST Public Relations Officer, Comfort.

Strengthen the members’ capacities to ensure their relevance during and after their service.

Reflect on developments at IST and plan future strategies to fulfill its mandate effectively.

The retreat emphasized the importance of legal research and judicial reasoning while integrating entrepreneurial skills to build competencies that extend beyond the Tribunal’s immediate work.

Legal Research and Reasoning for Courts and Tribunals with Reference to IST, by Professor Rabiu Sani Shatsari of Bayero University Kano.

Entrepreneurship Skills for Serving and Retired Political Appointees with Focus on Soft Skills for Judges, by Professor Abdullahi Muhammad of Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

Legal research was defined as “the process of identifying and retrieving information necessary to support legal decision-making.”

The distinction between research for trial judges and appellate judges was highlighted, noting that IST members function as both. While trial judges conduct routine research, appellate judges engage in more advanced inquiries due to the complexity of cases.

The necessity of adhering to judicial precedents (stare decisis) was emphasized, alongside the importance of primary legal authorities over secondary ones in decision-making.

Entrepreneurship was described as the ability to identify and solve problems through actionable ideas.

Finance was noted not to be the primary consideration in starting a business; instead, a clear, workable idea should come first to attract funding.

Building trusted and reliable management teams with vested interests in the business was recommended to ensure loyalty and commitment.

Empathy towards staff and fostering collaborative business approaches were underscored as essential for successful entrepreneurship.

The IST delegation also paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Kaduna State, who assured them of collaboration and support.

Concluding the retreat, the Tribunal reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of legal research and judicial reasoning while adopting strategies to develop entrepreneurial skills for its members.

The communiqué stated, “By adopting this communiqué, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding the highest standards of legal research and judicial reasoning in decision-making at the IST and also leverage the various tips outlined for building entrepreneurial skills.”