NGO equips selected Nigerian universities to boost access to Justice

In a bold move to enhance access to justice for pretrial detainees, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), a Non-Governmental Organization, has donated state-of-the-art equipment to Law Faculties in select public and private universities across Nigeria.

The initiative is part of the “Reforming Pretrial Detention in Nigeria” project, supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

The project is designed to address systemic challenges in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, particularly by enhancing legal representation for the over 60,000 individuals awaiting trial in the nation’s correctional facilities.

Among the beneficiary institutions are five universities in Abuja, including the University of Abuja. The donation includes essential resources such as smart boards, conference tables, bookshelves, public address systems, computers, printers, digital cameras, and inverters. These tools aim to bolster the operational capacity of law clinics, enabling them to deliver high-quality paralegal services to detainees.

At the inauguration of the facilities at the University of Abuja and a leading private university, PPDC Chief Executive Mrs. Lucy Abagi expressed optimism about the project’s potential to reduce the pretrial detainee population by 30%.

“We are thrilled to witness the deployment of this essential equipment, which will empower law clinics to serve pretrial detainees effectively,” Mrs. Abagi stated. “This initiative represents a critical step in reforming pretrial detention and ensuring detainees have access to effective legal representation.”

Professor Uwakwe Abugu, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Abuja, and Professor Gylyeh Jelilov, Vice-Chancellor of one of the benefitting private universities, lauded the intervention as a game-changer for legal education and justice reform.

The project underscores a broader goal of strengthening Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework for pretrial detention. With continued support from the U.S. Department of State, it aims to enhance human rights protections, improve access to justice, and bring lasting reform to the criminal justice system.

This milestone initiative not only equips law clinics with cutting-edge tools but also reinforces the commitment to justice for marginalized and vulnerable groups across Nigeria.

Writing by Tersoo Zamber; Editing by Daniel Adejo