Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, has warned aspiring lawyers not to allow the rapid growth of artificial intelligence to overshadow the importance of human advocacy and practical courtroom skills.

Akpata spoke at the 2026 Niger Delta Development Commission Annual Moot and Mock Trial Competition in Port Harcourt, involving students from 16 university law faculties across the Niger Delta.

He said that although artificial intelligence could produce legal arguments, it could not replace a lawyer’s ability to think quickly, construct persuasive submissions and respond effectively to unexpected developments during court proceedings.

“Most arguments can now be done by machine. But the ability to stand in court and argue what you did not anticipate is what the machine cannot do for you,” he said.

Akpata described advocacy as the foundation of legal practice and urged Nigerian universities to make moot court exercises a central component of legal education.

According to him, law students must be given more opportunities to practise what they learn and acquire courtroom experience rather than depend exclusively on theoretical classroom instruction.

He also called for the revival of the Memorandum of Understanding between the NDDC and the NBA, saying the legal profession was prepared to strengthen its partnership with the commission.

Akpata described investment in the professional development of young lawyers as one of the most meaningful investments that could be made in the future of the Niger Delta.

“Investing in the legal profession of the young people is the most meaningful investment anybody can make in the life of the region,” he said.

He urged faculties of law to take practical advocacy training seriously and invest in moot court programmes as a core part of legal education.

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