Port Harcourt Bar takes delivery of new law centre

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud on Tuesday commissioned a state-of-the-art Bar Centre (NBA Law Centre) in the city of Port Harcourt. The project, which took off in February 2016, replaces the old Centre at the high court premises.

This development is part of a crucial move by the Rivers State Government to enhance the administration of justice in the state as well as entrench the fundamentals of the rule of law through the construction of this purpose-built facility.

A three-storey edifice with seating capacity of a thousand two hundred, the centre also houses an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre alongside a Human Rights office. Built to purpose and for lawyers in the jurisdiction, the Centre will be an outlet to equip lawyers with the necessary skills for the promotion of human rights and the rule of law; which in turn will further the cause of good governance in Rivers State.

The state governor, Nyesom Wike had in February 2016 initiated the construction of an Ultra-Modern Law Centre to create space for more courtrooms at the State High Complex and to promote high-level research amongst practicing lawyers in the state in a comfortable environment laced with state-of-the-art recreational facilities.

Speaking on the need for such an edifice, the governor said, “The rule of law is the premise upon which any civilised society can develop, thus the need to raise the bar and create new standards for other states to follow.”

The Port Harcourt NBA Law Centre is expected to be an embodiment of the rule of law in Rivers State.