Lagos Opens Legal Research Centre, Targets Stronger Justice Delivery

The Lagos State Government has opened a Centre for Legal Study, Research and Training, describing it as a strategic investment to strengthen the justice system, develop legal expertise and prepare the state’s justice institutions for emerging challenges.

Established by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Centre is expected to serve as a hub for legal research, professional training, policy development and capacity building for practitioners and public officials in the justice sector.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony in Alausa, Ikeja, on Wednesday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, described the facility as more than another government building, saying it represents a deliberate investment in knowledge, institutional excellence and the future of justice administration in Lagos State.

“There are occasions when we open a building or office. There are other occasions when we open a door to the future. Today, in Lagos, we are doing the latter — opening a door to the future,” Pedro said.

He described the Centre as the first of its kind within a Ministry of Justice in Nigeria, arguing that a justice system that intends to remain relevant and effective must continually educate, examine and reform itself.

Pedro said the initiative aligns with the broader development agenda of the Sanwo-Olu administration, noting that the development of Lagos cannot be separated from strong institutions and an efficient administration of justice.

He identified the rule of law, access to justice and capable institutions as essential foundations for economic development, good governance and social inclusion.

The Attorney-General also linked the Centre to the administration’s THEMES Plus Agenda, stressing that building a secure, economically vibrant and inclusive society requires sustained investment in the people and institutions responsible for interpreting, administering and developing the state’s laws.

He said the Centre would help address the growing demands of a modern justice system, including the need for continuous professional development, evidence-based policy and institutional reform.

Outlining its proposed operational framework, Pedro disclosed that the Ministry intends to incorporate the Centre as a not-for-profit entity under a public-private partnership arrangement.

Under the proposed structure, the Ministry of Justice and its private-sector partners will jointly manage the Centre’s day-to-day operations.

While the government will provide policy direction, legitimacy and strategic oversight, the private sector is expected to contribute funding, technical expertise, innovation and operational efficiency.

Pedro said the arrangement was designed to ensure the Centre’s sustainability and effectiveness.

The opening ceremony also provided an opportunity to recognise former Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice, as well as past Solicitors-General and Permanent Secretaries whose contributions helped shape the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.

Pedro said their names had been inscribed on a Roll of Honour at the entrance to the Centre in recognition of their service, vision and enduring contributions.

He said the establishment of the facility reflected the importance of honouring the past, strengthening the present and investing in the future of the state’s justice system.

The Attorney-General commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for providing the leadership under which the initiative was realised, noting that the project was initially conceived as part of a broader commitment to institutional development.

The Governor was represented at the ceremony by the Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin.

Other guests included a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN; former Lagos State Attorneys-General, Mrs Eniola Fadayomi, Wonuola Folami and Adeniji Kazeem, SAN; as well as Senior Advocates Femi Falana, Bimbo Akeredolu and Jelili Owonikoko.

Also in attendance were judges of the Lagos State Judiciary, the chairmen of NBA branches in Lagos and representatives of the state executive and legislature.

Pedro expressed appreciation to the judiciary, members of the Nigerian Bar Association, development partners and the Ministry’s workforce for their contributions to the justice sector.

He said the Centre should ultimately become a platform for producing better-informed legal professio

nals, strengthening public institutions and advancing reforms to improve the administration of justice in Lagos State.

He called on stakeholders to see the facility not as an isolated government project but as part of a wider vision of a Greater Lagos, where strong institutions, developed human capital and respect for the rule of law underpin sustainable progress.

Pedro formally welcomed guests to the Centre, describing it as a legacy investment whose significance would become increasingly evident with time.

Meanwhile, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to make the Centre a repository of Nigeria’s legal history and a platform for promoting compliance with court judgments.

Citing the landmark Privy Council decision in Amodu Tijani v. Secretary, Southern Nigeria (1921), Falana challenged misconceptions surrounding land ownership in Lagos, recalling that the judgment recognised existing indigenous proprietary and usufructuary rights.

He urged the Ministry to preserve landmark judgments and historical legal materials at the Centre to deepen legal scholarship and provide researchers with access to important legal authorities.

Falana also called on Pedro to sustain efforts to secure compliance with outstanding court judgments, while encouraging the Ministry to explore settlements in appropriate cases rather than prolonging litigation.

He further advocated the inclusion of customary courts in the Centre’s research and training programmes.

According to him, judicial reforms since 1999 have largely concentrated on superior courts of record, leaving customary courts, which serve a significant proportion of the population, without comparable attention.

He urged the Ministry to dedicate a section of the Centre to customary law and the administration of justice at that level.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Hameed Oyenuga, disclosed that the Ministry’s management had resolved to approach Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to name the newly established Centre after Pedro in recognition of his decades of service and contributions to the state’s justice sector.

Oyenuga described the proposed recognition as a tribute to Pedro’s professional accomplishments and his place in the institutional history of the Ministry.

He recalled that Pedro joined the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in December 1987 and served in several directorates before rising through the ranks to become Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in 2008.

In the same year, Pedro attained the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, becoming, according to Oyenuga, the first State Counsel in the Lagos State public service to achieve the distinction.

His career spanned civil litigation, public prosecution and the development of the state’s justice administration framework before his appointment as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in September 2023.

“The intention is not merely to attach a distinguished name to a building. It is to recognise a record of service and create a lasting association between professional excellence, institutional development and the advancement of justice,” Oyenuga said.

The Centre marks a new institutional initiative by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, with its long-term impact expected to depend on the strength of its governance structure, research output, professional training programmes and ability to preserve legal knowledge for future generations.