The 19th Annual International Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) kicked off in Lagos with a call to action from His Highness, Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II, who urged lawyers, policymakers, and business leaders to embrace transformation, lead innovation, and uphold justice in an era defined by artificial intelligence (AI) and exponential technological growth.
Delivering the keynote address on the theme “The Future of Business Law in an Intelligence Age,” the Emir of Kano and ex-Central Bank Governor challenged the legal profession to urgently rethink its relevance amid accelerating disruption.
“We are not approaching an era of transformation. We are in it. Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, big data, and blockchain are no longer buzzwords; they are integral to our personal and professional environments,” Sanusi declared.
He described the current age as one that offers monumental opportunities for business and society but warned of equally significant ethical, regulatory, and existential challenges.
Sanusi stressed that traditional legal practice faces an existential crisis if it does not evolve.
“The lawyer as we have known him, the draftsman, the custodian of precedent, is at risk of becoming obsolete.
“Not because the law is dying, but because the world is moving faster than your doctrines,” he said.
The Emir urged lawyers to adopt legal technology, reskill for the digital era, and take an active role in shaping legal frameworks around emerging issues such as data privacy, AI accountability, intellectual property rights, and cross-border compliance.
“A 21st-century Nigerian lawyer must graduate knowing both corporate law and the significance of technology in legal practice.
“He needs to understand constitutional rights as well as data ethics and cybersecurity risks,” Sanusi noted, advocating a complete overhaul of legal education.
While embracing innovation, Sanusi emphasised the need for legal frameworks that are adaptive but also grounded in ethics and social justice.
He identified key focus areas to include regulatory compliance, consumer protection, and IP in the AI age, even as the monarch called for collaborative regulations.
Sanusi stressed the importance of engaging technologists, regulators, and the business community to craft responsive, inclusive laws.
“Africa is not exempt. Nigerian fintechs operate on platforms governed in Silicon Valley, funded from Luxembourg, and hosted in Dublin. Our regulatory frameworks must reflect this reality,” he warned.
While acknowledging technology’s power to improve efficiency and democratise access, Sanusi cautioned against its unintended consequences — automation of bias, institutionalised surveillance, and deepened inequality.
He urged the legal community to safeguard the ethical core of justice. “Technology may compute. It may optimise. But only humans can decide what is fair, what is humane, what is dignified,” he said.
Calling on lawyers to become “vigilant stewards of rights,” he emphasised: “You must interrogate not only what is legal but what is just.”
In her opening remarks, Chair of the NBA-SBL, Mrs Ozofu ’Latunde Ogiemudia, welcomed over a thousand participants including lawyers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, creatives, and investors from across Nigeria and beyond.
She described the conference as a timely intervention. “Artificial intelligence, data ecosystems, and predictive technologies are no longer on the horizon; they are here and now.
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“This moment demands that we, as a legal community, become not just participants but shapers of the future,” she said.
Ogiemudia praised the collaborative effort that made the 2025 conference possible, particularly the efforts of the Conference Planning Committee led by Ms Solape Peters and Mr Oludare Senbore, as well as sponsors and expert speakers committed to the event’s success.
“We will explore how emerging technologies are transforming industries, from aviation to fintech, from entertainment to education, and ask ourselves: what role must we play to ensure business law remains indispensable in shaping the future?” she said.
Mrs Ogiemudia reminded delegates that the impact of the conference must extend beyond the venue.
“Let us remind ourselves that we are here not just to witness change, but to influence it. Not just to talk, but to act. Not just to listen, but to lead,” she charged.
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