The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commenced its 2026 Annual Moot Court and Mock Trial Competition in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, aimed at strengthening the advocacy and courtroom skills of law students across the Niger Delta region.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the competition provides participating students with an opportunity to sharpen their advocacy, courtroom presentation and critical-thinking skills.
Ebie said the initiative forms part of the Commission’s broader interventions in education, which include postgraduate scholarship programmes as well as the provision of infrastructure and learning facilities in higher institutions across the region.
The NDDC Managing Director/CEO, Chief Samuel Ogbuku, represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to developing world-class human capacity in universities across the Niger Delta.
He urged legal educators and students to remain adaptable to emerging global trends, particularly the energy transition and the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence, to remain competitive in the evolving legal profession.
The Special Guest of Honour, retired Justice Mary Peter-Odili, encouraged the participating students to embrace practical experience, recalling her early days as a law student.
She stressed that courtroom advocacy, resilience and real-world exposure could not be acquired solely in the classroom, noting that every assignment, draft, experience and opportunity contributes to building a successful career at the Bar and on the Bench.
The competition is part of the NDDC’s efforts to promote practical legal education and develop the next generation of legal professionals in the Niger Delta.
