By Sylva OBASI
A specialist commercial and dispute resolution law firm, Bloomfield LP has given a total sum of one million naira (N1,000,000:00) to the pioneer winners and runners up of the maiden National Maritime Arbitration Competition held last weekend at the University of Lagos.
The competition which was organised by the Maritime Forum, University of Lagos, in partnership with Bloomfield LP had representatives of the host, UNILAG and that of University of Ilorin compete at the finals out of 6 universities that participated in the competition.
At the highly competitive Finals which was well attended by students and maritime dignitaries from the legal profession, the representatives of the host University, UNILAG clinched the winners spot and won the sum of N500,000; whereas their counterparts from the University of Ilorin emerged the Runners up and smiled home with the sum of N300,000; while the University of. Benin emerged the second runners up and got N200,000 also.
Addressing the students while making the prize presentation to the winners, the Bloomfield LP Partner, Mr Adedoyin Afun congratulated the contestants for putting up real efforts into the maiden edition of the competition.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of research done by the contestants, their indepth knowledge of the topic and the eloquence displayed during their presentations.
Group photos of dignitaries during prize presentation to winners of the maiden National Maritime Arbitration Competition held last weekend in UNILAG, Lagos
He also disclosed that the purpose of the competition is to position Nigeria at the centre of Africa’s maritime future as a hub for maritime arbitration.
According to him, “Nigeria possesses many of the conditions necessary to emerge as Africa’s maritime arbitration hub, including strategic geography, commercial influence, a vibrant maritime sector, and an evolving arbitration framework.
“However, leadership in maritime dispute-resolution will not occur automatically. Realising this ambition requires coordinated action across government, institutions, industry, and academia to strengthen legal certainty, institutional credibility, and specialist expertise.
“If these reforms are pursued deliberately, Nigeria can move beyond participation in Africa’s maritime economy and become the jurisdiction in which Africa’s lucrative and needed maritime disputes are resolved.
“Anchoring justice in Nigeria, therefore, means more than resolving maritime disputes. It means positioning Nigeria at the centre of Africa’s maritime future”, Afun deposited.
Also speaking exclusively to PLATFORM REPORTERS at the event, a former President of Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Dr Ogbai Omo-Eboh, SAN said he was extremely impressed with what he witnessed at the competition.
He commended the UNILAG students for organising the program and getting other universities to be part of it. He also praised them for the quality of case they dealt with in the moot arbitration competition which he admitted posed a tough challenge to even seasoned arbitrators in the maritime sector.
Speaking further, the senior advocate equally commended Bloomfield Legal Practitioners for sponsoring the program and for also engaging dedicated practitioners as arbitrators in the moot competition. He urged them to continue in that light by sustaining the initiative through continuous sponsorship of the competition.
Dr Omo-Eboh however advised the Maritime Forum, University of Lagos to collaborate with the UNILAG Maritime Arbitration Society in hosting future editions of the competition.
Representatives of Bloomfield LP making prize presentation to UNILAG students as winners of the maiden National Maritime Arbitration Competition held last weekend in UNILAG, Lagos
Oh her own, while also addressing the students as a guest, the President, Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigerian (MAAN) Chief Mrs Jean Chiazor-Anishere SAN expressed optimism over the quality of performance displayed by the students during the competition.
Mrs Anishere who was represented by the immediate past President of Women in Maritime Africa (WIMA Nigeria), Mrs Rollens Macfoy also thanked Bloomfield LP for sponsoring the program.
As a way of showing her excitement for the program, Mrs Rollens made additional cash donation of N100,000 to the winners and also supported the organisers, the Maritime Forum with the sum of N100,000.
Meanwhile, earlier in his welcome address, the President of the Maritime Forum, UNILAG, Mr Dare Tunde Damilola explained that the competition is a platform created to expose students to the practical realities of maritime law, dispute resolution, advocacy, and the evolving global maritime industry.
Dr Ogbai Omo-Eboh, SAN making prize presentation to UNILORIN students as Runner-up of the maiden National Maritime Arbitration Competition held last weekend in UNILAG, Lagos
According to him, “As the maritime sector continues to expand, the need for competent professionals who understand arbitration and alternative dispute resolution becomes even more important.
“This competition represents our commitment to building capacity, encouraging intellectual excellence, and creating opportunities for students across different universities to engage, learn, and compete at a national level”, he hinted.
Highlights of the occasion included the moot arbitration competition finals between UNILAG and UNILORIN; prize presentation to the winners and runners-up, as well as awards of honour presented to the event sponsor, Bloomfield LP, and other distinguished personalities.
