Prince Adetokunbo Kayode SAN

Nigerian Chambers of Commerce Dispute Resolution Center (NCC-DRC) as part of its mandate to promote and support amicable settlement of commercial disputes, has launched “The Prince Adetokunbo Kayode SAN National Inter-University Moot Arbitration Competition” for Nigerian Law Students. The virtual event held on 31^st January 2023 and drew attendance from mediators, arbitrators, conciliators, students and other major stakeholders of the Alternative Dispute Resolution community.

The Competition which is organized in collaboration with the National Body of the Law Students’ Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), is sponsored by the Center’s pioneer Chairman and past Nigerian Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode SAN.

The Chairman of NCC-DRC and National Patron of the National ADR Society Chief Emeka Obegolu SAN in his welcome address, welcomed participants and appreciated Prince Adetokunbo SAN for accepting to sponsor the competition. He hinted participants on an upcoming launch of a Mediation Moot Competition before the end of the first quarter of 2023.

The Registrar General of NCC-DRC presented an overview of the competition and specially thanked the sponsor for his continuous support to the Center. She gave an outline of the structure of the competition and assured participants that a detailed document and procedure code would be sent to them.

According to her, “It is our belief that the Moot Competition will challenge students to engage in comparative research of legal standards at domestic and international levels, and also develop their advocacy skills (written and oral) on cutting-edge questions in emerging and hot areas of Alternative Dispute Resolution”.

The sponsor in his remarks thanked the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce Dispute Resolution Center (NCC-DRC) for offering him the opportunity to further contribute his quota to the growth of ADR. He Stated that “My practice of many decades has shown me that the principal purpose of a lawyer is to be a solution provider to his clients in the most efficient and effective way. Dispute resolution has evolved beyond the traditional approach of the law profession, the legal system in different climes around the world now advocate for lawyers to be more creative by providing better or appropriate alternative options to their clients against the traditional approach that goes straight to litigation”.

He then preceded to declare the competition open and restated his commitment to always be part of any initiative aimed at providing mentorship to upcoming ADR enthusiasts, enhance knowledge sharing, and promote research.

The LAWSAN President on behalf of Nigerian Universities thanked the NCC-DRC for finding it worthy to collaborate in the hosting of the competition and assured the Center of its commitment to the success of the program.

In their goodwill messages, President of Institute of Chattered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) Dr. Agada Elachi, Chairman of Chattered Institute of Arbitrators UK (Abuja Chapter) Mr. Oluwanuga Euphraim, and Catherine Amadasun, the President of National ADR Society, collectively commended NCC-DRC for the great initiative and encouraged the students to take full advantage of the opportunity.

The priced competition will be virtual and will feature brief writing and rounds of mock arbitration trial, to end with a final round that will produce the winners.