Sixteen law faculties from universities across the Niger Delta have gone head-to-head in the 2026 Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Annual Moot and Mock Trial Competition in Port Harcourt, with senior legal figures challenging participants to prepare for a profession where technology cannot replace human advocacy.

The annual competition is giving the students an opportunity to move beyond theoretical classroom lessons and experience the pressure, discipline and demands of courtroom advocacy.

Declaring the competition open, Chairman the 7th Governing Board of the NDDC, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the commission remained committed to the programme because of its importance in preparing young lawyers for professional practice.

According to him, moot court competitions allow students to sharpen their advocacy and courtroom presentation skills while gaining practical lessons that could influence their future careers.

He said the experience would also enable young lawyers to begin developing the confidence required to use their profession to draw attention to the challenges confronting the Niger Delta.

NDDC Managing Director, His Royal Highness Samuel Ogbuku, represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, said previous editions had demonstrated the significant contribution of the moot trial to the education and development of law students.

He said the competition provides participants with knowledge, advocacy skills and practical experience that would help shape their careers.

But the strongest challenge came from former NBA President Olumide Akpata, who warned young lawyers not to allow the rapid growth of artificial intelligence to overshadow the importance of human advocacy.

Akpata said the ability to think on one’s feet, construct persuasive arguments and respond to unexpected developments remained indispensable in courtroom practice.

“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.

He described advocacy as the bedrock of the legal profession and urged universities to give moot courts a central place in legal education.

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

He said investing in young lawyers was 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 further urged law faculties to create more opportunities for students to practise law rather than relying exclusively on classroom instruction.

“Every faculty of law [should] take this seriously and invest in moot court as a core part of legal education,” Akpata said.

Also addressing the students, retired Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili advised the participants to value the experience gained from the competition, noting that the lessons learned could become useful as they advance in their professional careers.

With 16 law faculties participating, the 2026 competition is therefore not only a contest for honours but also a practical test of the next generation of legal advocates in the Niger Delta.