The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has announced six winners of its 2026 Essay, Poetry and Spoken Word Competition, following the assessment of 57 entries submitted by law students and young lawyers across Nigeria.
In a statement, the Chair of NBA-SPIDEL, Associate Professor Uju Agomoh, disclosed that Favour Ofie Ebiala of the University of Calabar and Obiorah Chibuzor Victor emerged first in the law students’ and young lawyers’ categories respectively, winning ₦75,000 each. The six winners will receive a combined ₦300,000 in prizes at the ongoing NBA-SPIDEL Annual Conference in Umuahia, Abia State.
See the newsletter below
Press Statement by the Chair of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) on the Results of the 2026 Essay, Poetry and Spoken Word Competition
UMUAHIA, 9 November 2026
On behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, I am pleased to announce the winners of the NBA-SPIDEL 2026 Essay, Poetry and Spoken Word Competition.
The competition was held on the theme of our 2026 Annual Conference, “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy and Development”. It invited law students and young lawyers to show, through essays, poetry and spoken word, how the law can serve the public good. The response was encouraging: 57 entries came in from universities and NBA branches across the country, and a Judging Sub-Committee assessed each of them against a published rubric.
This competition is an ongoing initiative of SPIDEL. It builds on a similar competition held last year in connection with the 2025 SPIDEL Annual Conference and reflects the Section’s continuing commitment to nurturing the next generation of public-interest lawyers. The SPIDEL Committee on Capacity Building, Knowledge Management and Mentoring, chaired by Dr. Ike Ukam, is working in partnership with the SPIDEL leadership to strengthen the initiative and secure its sustainability.
The winners in each category are listed below.
| Category | Place | Name | Institution / Call year | Winning entry | Prize |
| Law Students | 1st | Favour Ofie Ebiala | University of Calabar | “The People’s Account” (essay) | ₦75,000 |
| Law Students | 2nd | Frank Okike | University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus | “Beyond the Courtroom, Beyond the Gown” (essay) | ₦50,000 |
| Law Students | 3rd | Madu Chidera Ebenezer | University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus | “The Architecture of Disruption” (essay) | ₦25,000 |
| Young Lawyers | 1st | Obiorah Chibuzor Victor | Called 2026 | “Picking the Padlock” (essay) | ₦75,000 |
| Young Lawyers | 2nd | Unamadu Chisom Emmanuel | Called 2024 | “Closing the Door on Qualification” (essay) | ₦50,000 |
| Young Lawyers | 3rd | Ismail Mustapha | Called 2024 | “Justice Must Leave the Courtroom” (essay) | ₦25,000 |
I warmly congratulate the winners. Their prizes will be presented during the conference.
What stood out in this year’s entries was their seriousness. The strongest did not simply repeat the conference theme. They took real Nigerian problems, such as pre-trial detention, electoral justice, mob violence, the enforcement of socio-economic rights and public accountability for spending, and argued them with law, evidence and imagination. Our winning essays went further and asked hard questions of the legal profession itself. That is exactly the spirit in which SPIDEL was established.
I also commend the entrants whose work narrowly missed the podium. They include Rachael Ajisafe of Olabisi Onabanjo University and Anagha Favour Chidiogo of Lagos State University for their outstanding poems, Ezedinugwu Henry Odira for his essay on extrajudicial punishment, and Goto Emmanuel for the strongest poem among the young lawyers. To every participant: your work shows that the next generation of the Bar takes the public interest seriously, and I encourage you to keep writing, advocating and serving.
I thank the members of the Judging Sub-Committee for their careful and independent assessment of every entry. I especially appreciate Dr. Kenechukwu Agwu and Dr. Martins Idachaba, whose diligence, rigour and generosity of time made it possible to complete a demanding assessment within a tight timeline. I also thank the Competition Secretariat for organising the competition. I also thank our hosts in Abia State and everyone who has worked to make the 2026 Annual Conference possible.
The public interest is not an abstract idea. It is measured by whether the law reaches the person in the cell, the voter at the polling unit and the community waiting for a road, a school or a clinic. SPIDEL will continue to give young lawyers and law students a platform to make that case.
Signed:
Dr. Uju Agomoh
Associate Professor
Chair, Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL)
#umuahia2026 #nbaspidel
You must be logged in to post a comment.