Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN is one Nigeria’s four leading arbitrators who have been appointed to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, Netherlands.

Other eminent arbitrators whose nominations have been confirmed by the PCA are former Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof. Paul Idornigie SAN; Prof. Emilia Onyema, FCIArb and Mrs. Funmi Roberts, FCIArb. The four appointees are also members of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).

The new PCA members who were nominated by the Federal Government will serve for an initial six-year period.

CITY LAWYER recalls that every Contracting State is entitled to four members at the PCA. The PCA is an intergovernmental organization with 122 contracting parties.

It is recalled that Maikyau had visited the Permanent Court of Arbitration where he met with its PCA’s secretary-general, Mr. Hugo Hans Siblesz.

A statement on the visit noted that Maikyau “presented gifts as a token of appreciation for the PCA’s work in international dispute resolution. This gesture underscores the NBA’s intent to strengthen its relationship with the PCA and explore collaborative arbitration and dispute resolution opportunities.”

The PCA is dedicated to serving the international community in the field of dispute resolution. According to the arbitral body, “Established in 1899 to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution between states, the PCA has developed into a modern, multi-faceted arbitral institution perfectly situated to meet the evolving dispute resolution needs of the international community.”

In addition to the Members of the Court, the PCA also maintains various specialized panels of arbitrators and experts in connection with its specialized rules of procedure for environmental and outer space disputes.

Beyond its headquarters in the Peace Palace in The Hague, the PCA has opened offices in various cities in order to make its services more accessible in different regions of the world.