Ahead of the announcement of the semi-finalist (Oral Rounds) for the Egbewole Banjo Foundation (EBF) National Disability Moot Court Competition, Disability Persons Organisations (DPOs) are showing support for the initiative to develop awareness through education of the rights of persons with disability.
According to Professor of International Human Rights Laws and Senior Programme Manager of the Disability Law Advocacy Project (DLAP) Azubike Onuora-Oguno, Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin, the four semi-finalists will be announced in an online event today April 17, 2025 5pm Nigerian time.
Professor Onuora-Oguno added that the semi-finals will take place physically at the Moot Court Complex of the University of Ilorin from May 12-15, 2024.
Dr. Ousman Diallo, the Director of Research of the Court will conduct a workshop on the workings, procedure and jurisprudence of the ECOWAS Court on May 14.
Already, Dr. O.L Niyi-Gafar the Head of Department of Jurisprudence and International Law and Professor N. M Abdulraheem, Dean of the Faculty eagerly await to host the teams that will make it to the oral rounds in Ilorin.
Professor Onuora-Oguno stated that DPO’s including Voice of Disability International (VDI) and Opeoluwa Sotonwa Foundation (OSF) are showing strong solidarity by pledging awards and cash prizes for the best teams.
In a communication from Catherine Edeh Esq, the ED of VDI, the winning teams and best individual oralists will receive awards that will preserve the memory of participating in the competition.
Dr. Opeoluwa Sotonwa of the OSF is gifting the best team, first runner up and second runner up with cash awards.
Professor J.O Olatoke, Chairperson of DLAP says the Moot will be the first ECOWAS Court focused Moot Court Competition and the case to be argued by the students is centred on issues affecting persons with disability, free movement within the ECOWAS region, child rights and access to education of persons with disability.
Twelve universities have expressed interest in the preliminary rounds.
The first edition of the disability moot competition was sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa and was won by the Imo State University, with Eboyi State University as the first runner-up.
The revamped competition is now anchored on the Egbewole Banjo Foundation (EBF) a brain child of Professor Wahab Egbewole, SAN the Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin.