DELSU Law Faculty Holds End-Of-Session Lecture, Experts Advocate Technology Adoption

By Andrew Ejovwo Abuza

The Faculty of Law, Delta State University (DELSU), Oleh Campus, on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, held its 2025/2026 End-of-Session Lecture Series, with legal experts highlighting the growing influence of technology on legal education, advocacy and the administration of justice.

The event, held at the Law Faculty Complex in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, was themed “Law and Technology: The Role of Lawyers in Today’s World.”

In her welcome address, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, DELSU, Oleh Campus, and host of the ceremony, Professor (Mrs) Beauty Alloh, welcomed participants and thanked the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Ogheneovo Asagba, for approving the organisation of the lecture series.

Speaking on the role of lawyers in the use of technology, Alloh observed that social media had expanded the landscape of activism, while technological advancement had made many activities easier.

The university don acknowledged concerns that people who use Artificial Intelligence (AI) are sometimes regarded as lazy and that the technology has discouraged students from studying.

She noted that many students no longer visited libraries as frequently as before but relied on their phones and laptops to complete assignments.

According to her, research had also become much simpler as a result of technological advancement.

Alloh urged law students to acquire extensive knowledge of technology while continuing to engage their brains and develop their intellectual abilities.

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She emphasised that technology had contributed significantly to learning and understanding the law, making it important for aspiring lawyers to understand how to use it effectively.

The Dean challenged the students to work harder in their studies, urging them to strive to acquire greater knowledge of the law than their lecturers.

She stressed the importance of embracing technology while maintaining the intellectual discipline required to excel in the legal profession.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Ogheneovo Asagba, was represented at the event by the Provost of the Oleh Campus, Professor Augustine Atonuje, who served as the chief host.

Atonuje commended the Dean and members of the faculty for organising the lecture series. He expressed pleasure at being among members of the Faculty of Law and thanked Alloh for inviting him to the occasion.

Delivering the keynote lecture titled “The Role of the Lawyer in Contemporary Society: Legal Advocacy and the Emergence of Digital Human Rights Activism,” His Honour C.O. Uwuseba, a Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal and alumnus of the Faculty of Law, DELSU, Abraka, examined how digital platforms have transformed human rights advocacy.

Uwuseba explained that advocacy had moved beyond the traditional methods employed by lawyers and journalists, who relied largely on newspapers and courtrooms to challenge arbitrary government power and institutional abuses.

According to the keynote speaker, modern human rights lawyers, digital activists and content creators can use smartphones to expose alleged wrongdoing by individuals and government institutions, draw attention to injustice and challenge abuses of power.

Uwuseba noted that technological advancement had changed communication methods and enabled ordinary citizens to become influential public advocates.

The judge explained that a single video could expose alleged police misconduct, document unlawful eviction, reveal discrimination, attract international attention and prompt government investigations.

The speaker described this development as a profound change in the structure of public advocacy, noting that lawyers were no longer the only people capable of bringing injustice to public attention.

In a special lecture titled “Using Technology in Teaching, Learning and the Practice of Law,” Professor Festus Emiri, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), former Dean of the Faculty of Law and lecturer, highlighted the importance of technology in legal education.

Emiri observed that Artificial Intelligence could deliver lectures, examine students, grade examinations and perform several other academic tasks.

He expressed concern that the Nigerian Law School and law faculties across Nigerian universities had not sufficiently embraced technology in teaching and learning.

The Professor of Jurisprudence and Rhetoric also explained that pictures, as products of technology, could help communicate ideas more effectively when properly used in legal writing.

He warned that the Nigerian Law School and law faculties in universities across the country risked becoming obsolete if they failed to embrace technological innovations in teaching, learning and research.

Another major presentation was delivered by Professor Andrew Clement Ejovwo Abuza, a registered Notary Public for Nigeria, certified teacher, journalist and Head of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law at the Faculty of Law, DELSU, Oleh Campus.

Presenting a paper titled “The Nigerian Workers and the Right to Strike: A Contemporary Discourse,” Abuza argued that, based on his interpretation of the meaning of the right to strike and Nigeria’s existing labour legislation, Nigerian workers do not have a right to strike.

He supported his argument with statutory provisions and case law, expressing concern over what he described as the increasing frequency of strikes by trade unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Abuza cited the indefinite strike reportedly begun on September 15, 2026, by ASUU members in three Lagos State-owned universities — Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) — to demand the implementation of a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers.

He linked the dispute to an agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU on December 23, 2025.

The law lecturer argued that incessant industrial actions had negatively affected industrial harmony and Nigeria’s economy, particularly when university-based unions embarked on strikes that disrupted academic activities.

He contended that prolonged university closures forced students to remain at home without academic activities, exposing some to social risks.

He expressed concern that some male students could become involved in criminal activities, while some female students could engage in prostitution, potentially resulting in unwanted pregnancies and associated difficulties for their families and society.

These observations formed part of Abuza’s argument about the social consequences of prolonged disruptions to university education.

Describing strikes as an approach that could undermine the rule of law, Abuza argued that industrial disputes should be addressed through modern and legally established mechanisms rather than what he characterised as the rule of force.

He urged trade unions to explore alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms, including arbitration, direct negotiations and adjudication before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).

According to him, the NICN has exclusive jurisdiction over labour and employment disputes and can adjudicate matters involving the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements between employers and trade unions.

Abuza also highlighted the role of technology in labour dispute resolution, noting that virtual hearings were available in employment cases before the NICN. He encouraged lawyers representing trade unions to use the Electronic Pavilion Law Reports (EPLR) to research relevant judicial decisions in support of workers’ cases.

Despite his criticism of frequent strikes, Abuza called for amendments to Nigeria’s existing labour legislation to expressly provide for the right of workers in non-essential services to strike as a last resort, subject to an agreed minimum level of service.

He said the proposed amendment would be consistent with the position of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the approach adopted by several countries, including France.

Other paper presenters at the event were Dr Erhurhu Omosefe, a lecturer at Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Agbarha-Otor; Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., of the Ministry of Justice, Asaba; and Miss Ovoke Igbigbi of the Faculty of Law, DELSU, Oleh Campus.

The event attracted members of the Bench and Bar, government officials, academics, media practitioners, politicians, community leaders, civil society organisations, students and other invited guests from across Delta State and beyond.

Dignitaries in attendance included Professor Augustine Atonuje; Professor Beauty Alloh; Professor Festus Emiri, SAN; Professor A.C.E. Abuza; Professor Kinsley Mrabure; Professor Emuobo Theresa Emudainohwo; Chief (Dr) I.L. Atufe, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Effurun Branch; and Ms C. Okeke, Senior Deputy Registrar of the Oleh Campus, who represented the Registrar of DELSU, Mrs Rufina Ufiofio.

Others included Dr Jelingo Philip Esavwede, Dr P.I. Gasiokwu, Chief Kennedy Uwubiti, Esq., Rufus Olarewaju, Esq., Dr Moses Omozue, Dr Morrison Ossai, Dr Garvin Oyibodoro, Dr Ejiro Kore-Okiti, Mrs Martha Amaka Obi, Mr Lucky Enanuga, Faculty Officer of Law; Dr Daniel Akparobore, Dr Marcus Isebe, Dr Brown Umukoro, Dr U.G. Ehirim and Dr Gaga Ekakitie, alongside other academic and non-academic staff, students, community leaders, media practitioners and other invited guests.