Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has urged lawyers to champion public interest beyond litigation, insisting that democracy must deliver justice and improve citizens’ welfare.

Mr Osinbajo made the call on Tuesday in Umuahia at the opening of the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) conference.

The ex-vice-president said lawyers, as social engineers, must examine how laws and public institutions affect people’s lives, particularly disadvantaged citizens. He urged them to promote access to justice, protect livelihoods and advance human welfare through effective legal advocacy.

Mr Osinbajo said democracy should be assessed beyond elections and constitutional processes, particularly by its capacity to provide jobs, food, healthcare and security.

“Democracy must connect more firmly with human welfare, to jobs, to food, to healthcare, to justice and the security of lives and livelihoods,” he said.

The former vice-president expressed concern over declining public confidence in democratic institutions across Africa, citing Afrobarometer findings on dissatisfaction with government performance. He identified poor job creation and inadequate efforts to improve living standards as factors contributing to public disillusionment.

Mr Osinbajo warned that corruption, weak institutions and declining youth participation in electoral politics could further undermine confidence in democracy. However, he cautioned against viewing authoritarian or military rule as alternatives, stressing the need for accountable leadership and competent public institutions.

He advocated affordable legal services and recalled reforms introduced during his tenure as Lagos State Attorney-General between 1999 and 2007, noting that the reforms included the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights, Office of the Public Defender and Citizens’ Mediation Centres.

According to him, the initiatives provided free legal assistance and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for citizens.

He said the mediation centres resolved more than 8,000 disputes in their first year, compared with fewer than 2,000 handled by magistrates’ courts.

Mr Osinbajo said people-centred justice required accessible mechanisms for obtaining redress, protecting rights and securing remedies, particularly for disadvantaged citizens. He urged lawyers to scrutinise government budgets and expenditure, challenge administrative failures and collaborate with communities to improve public services.

He identified prolonged court proceedings, judicial corruption and widespread impunity as challenges that undermine confidence in the justice system and impede development.

(NAN)