By Zullaihat Muhammad
PROTOCO
Good morning, and welcome to the Law and Inclusive Development Summit
2025, proudly hosted by the Young Lawyers Forum, NBA Garki Branch, in
partnership with Citizens’ Initiatives for Rights and Empowerment (CITIZINRE).
It is both a pleasure and a privilege to stand before you today.
I align my thoughts with the words of renowned leadership expert John C.
Maxwell, who, in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, said and I
quote:
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life
influencing another.”
Simply put, impactful leadership is rooted in influence and meaningful change,
not authority or status. When I accepted the responsibility of leading the Young Lawyers Forum, I asked myself the three simple but powerful questions I always reflect on whenever I’m faced with a new challenge: What am I doing? Why does it matter? And how can I make it meaningful?
Distinguished guests and participants, thanks to the executives of the Young
Lawyers Forum, Garki Branch and the Summit planning committee who believed
in and shared this vision, this Summit – this gathering of bold, brilliant, changedriven professionals – is part of that answer.
In the course of seeking support for this Summit, I always made one thing clear:
this is not just another event. It is a purpose – driven gathering – a declaration that young lawyers are not bystanders in the transformation of our dear country.We
are the drivers of that transformation. From law classrooms to legislative chambers, from courtrooms to community
halls – we are already doing the work. But we know we must do more, and we
must do it together.
In line with this spirit, united in purpose and vision, I, on behalf of the YLF
Executives am proud to announce that the Young Lawyers Forum, NBA, Garki
Branch, is officially adopting “SETTING THE PACE” as our motto. This simple phrase captures who we are and what we stand for – Young Lawyers who are not waiting for change but leading it; not following trends but creating them.
“SETTING THE PACE” is our commitment, our challenge, and our call to action
as we work together to drive transformative change in our profession and our communities”.
That is why we have launched the Young Lawyers Community Development
Initiative (YLCDI) to portray the heart of our movement. It is a structured
platform through which we aim to connect the practice of law to the real needs of
people.
Under this umbrella, we are proud to roll out the Pro Bono Legal Aid Clinic,
Legislative Mentorship Clinic, Young Lawyers Conflict Transformation
Fellowship, and the Community Rights Awareness Outreach — designed to
educate our communities about their rights and expand access to justice where it matters most from now till May 2026
These programs will actively engage volunteers from across all FCT YLF
branches and will be implemented in collaboration with our sister branches
because we believe, and believe strongly, that only through collaboration can we
make a bigger impact.
This isn’t just about outreach, it is about ownership. The legal literacy of persons in our immediate communities is at the core of what we hope to achieve because an educated population is an empowered population.
And through these initiatives, we are empowering young lawyers to educate,
engage, and elevate the communities they serve. The conversations we will have today will focus on real gaps – in our legal
education system, in access to justice, in how young lawyers are prepared (or not)
to drive development.
We will ask important questions like:
How can we serve our communities better? What must change in our
training? How can we collectively become agents of social justice and
reform?
Let me reiterate that this summit is not just another event because our
conversations will not end here. The recommendations from today’s panel
sessions will form the foundation of a Post-Summit Communiqué, which we,
alongside CITIZINRE and partners who share our vision, will pursue with the
relevant stakeholders – in policy, in law, and in public institutions to ensure that
our advocacy leads to implementation.
We also hope that the Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, the National
Young Lawyers Forum Council, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development,
under the leadership of our Summit Chairman – the Honourable Minister and
other stakeholders present will lend its support to our cause.
These initiatives are not just about young lawyers; they are about young Nigerians
stepping up to build the country we all want to live in.
To everyone here – our speakers, our moderators, our supporters and volunteers – thank you.
Your presence proves that the legal profession is ready to evolve. That we are ready to evolve.
To our NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN – thank you for your unwavering commitment to the welfare and development of young lawyers, which we see actively reflected in the work of the National YLF Council.
To our NBA Garki Branch Chairman and Branch Executives – we deeply appreciate your leadership and support in making this Summit a reality.
To the senior members of the Bar, friends of the YLF and my colleagues who
have given us so much support and guidance, we appreciate you.
To our partners, sponsors and donors – thank you for believing in our vision.
Your commitment made today possible and to be honest, we could not have done
this without you.
To the Committee of FCT YLF Chairmen, I thank you specially for all the support you have lent and have been willing to lend us to make an impact.
And to every young lawyer in this room – this is your moment. own it. Ask the
hard questions. Engage fully. And build connections that will last beyond this
hall.
And remember: we are not the next generation.
We are the now generation. And we are setting the pace. Thank you – and welcome to the Summit.
