The Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has enjoined lawyers to embrace innovation, ethical responsibility, and technological fluency or risk obsolescence.

Sanusi made this call in his keynote at the 19th Annual International Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Business Law, in Lagos on Wednesday.

Acknowledging the present era of artificial intelligence and digital transformation, Sanusi said legal practitioners must be imbued with skills to utilise emerging technologies.

Sanusi, represented by Senior Counsellor of the Kano Emirate, Mahe Wali, said, “These technologies present monumental opportunities, but also significant challenges. Understanding technology is no longer optional; it is essential.”

He urged the legal practitioners to evolve with the times, highlighting the growing impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and blockchain on every facet of life and business.

Sanusi called for comprehensive reform in legal education, insisting that law graduates must be as fluent in emerging technologies as they are in corporate statutes.

“The lawyer, who is the custodian of precedents, is at risk of becoming obsolete. Not because the law is dying, but because the world is moving faster than your doctrines,” Sanusi said.

The event, themed “The Future of Business Law in an Intelligence Age,” had in attendance legal professionals, business executives, policymakers, and tech innovators to interrogate the shifting intersections between law, technology, regulation, and commerce.

 He also warned regulators not to ignore the global nature of digital platforms, urging harmonisation with international norms while preserving local realities.

“We will become permanent consumers of legal standards we did not design if we fail to respond.”

“Bias can now be automated. Discrimination scaled. Surveillance rebranded as innovation. You must be vigilant stewards of rights, interrogating not only what is legal but what is just,” Sanusi said.

In her remarks, Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs. Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to fostering a technology-enabled legal and business environment that supports innovation and sustainable growth.

She said legal frameworks must be as forward-thinking as the innovations they are meant to regulate.

“The strength of a nation can be measured by the quality of its contractual agreements,” Salu-Hundeyin said.

“Economic progress is a direct result of the trust, confidence, and assurance that individuals and entities have in the country’s legal frameworks, rules, and regulations.”

While highlighting Lagos as the economic epicentre of Nigeria and West Africa, she stressed that the legal system must keep pace with emerging issues in data privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property, digital contracts, and regulatory compliance.

“The intelligence stage primarily contacts legal factions around these issues,” she said.

“Practices and business models today must be equipped not only with traditional legal expertise but also with a deep understanding of emerging technologies,” Salu-Hundeyin added.

Salu-Hundeyin said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has invested in digital infrastructure, supported public-private innovation partnerships, and engaged with professional bodies like the Nigeria Bar Association to ensure the legal sector remains relevant and responsive.

“We are committed to working closely with the Nigerian Bar Association and other relevant bodies to promote continuous learning and adaptation,” she said.

Earlier in her welcome remarks, the NBA-SBL Chair, Mrs. Ozofu Ogiemudia, stressed that the legal community must rise to the occasion by becoming architects of bold, adaptive, and principled legal frameworks that can respond to the velocity of change while safeguarding justice.

 “Artificial intelligence, data ecosystems, and predictive technologies are no longer ideas on the horizon; they are today’s realities.

 “As Africa positions itself as a hub for innovation, trade, and investment, the Nigerian legal community has a critical role to play in shaping policies, fostering trust, and driving the integrity of markets across the continent,” she said.

The conference, which runs till Friday, July 4, 2025, will feature plenaries, breakout sessions, fireside chats, masterclasses, and networking events exploring how law must evolve alongside innovation in sectors such as fintech, aviation, manufacturing, entertainment, education, and healthcare.