Damilola Olawi, president of the International Law Association of Nigeria, said without the right people involved, it will be difficult for Nigeria to attract the trade, investment and financial instruments needed to solve some of its domestic problems. .
In a statement made to Punch Online on Sunday after the Certificate Ceremony and Diplomacy Ceremony for Advanced Studies in International Law organized by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Law in collaboration with the Institute of International Law, Lagos, Mr. Olawi said: Appropriate international law skillset is a fundamental requirement at the negotiation table
Mr. Olawi, a senior Nigerian lawyer and vice-chancellor of Afe Babalola University, cited the example of the China-Nigeria agreement, saying, “Those who understand the complexities of international law should undertake these types of negotiations.” It shows that there is.” You must agree to avoid such embarrassing situations. ”
While noting that Nigeria is at a critical stage, Olawi said the influx of funds is needed to address some of the fiscal challenges facing the country.
He added that the economic hardships people are lamenting require people with the knowledge and skills to negotiate the best deal for Nigeria.
He said the overall goal of the program is to equip the next generation with the international law knowledge and skills they need to become international law leaders on the world stage.
“So if we don’t have the right people at the negotiating table, it’s going to be difficult to attract the trade, investment and financial tools we need to solve some of our domestic problems.
“The China deal with Nigeria shows that countries that understand the complexities of international law should negotiate these types of agreements to avoid embarrassing situations like this.
“As you know, Nigeria is at a critical stage.
“We need an influx of funds to address some of the fiscal challenges facing this country. In international law, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you bargained for,” he said.
Also speaking, international lawyer Olufemi Elias described the news that Nigeria received only three votes in the Security Council as a prank, calling it a shame considering Nigeria did not field a candidate. Rather, he said, it was a matter of serious pride.
Mr. Elias explained that international law is an important area as it is evident in climate change, public warfare, and many other aspects.
He said the certification program is about empowering participants about what is legal and what is not.
“What I was told was that Nigeria got only three votes in the Security Council, while other countries got 170 votes.
“For me, it’s more a matter of pride than shame that I was able to get three votes even though I had no competition or nominated.
“I think that report was just a prank because we were not candidates for the election.
“International law is a very important part of what we do today, and there are so many facets of international law, such as climate change and domestic wars,” he said.
In his remarks, Adebisi Arewa, Director of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Law, said that knowledge of international law is essential as the world is now a global village and is inherently transnational as it involves actors across borders. He said it was extremely important. Therefore, solving this problem requires international legal skills.
According to him, this capacity is needed to ensure that Nigeria does its best, and that there are currently persistent and major deficiencies in its capacity under international law.
