OPD Secures N815m, $52,000 for Lagos Indigent Citizens Over 25 Years
Kehinde Adeleye
The Lagos State Government has revealed that the Bureau of Public Defender (BPD), formerly the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), has secured over N815 million and $52,000 in compensation for indigent residents since its creation 25 years ago.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Bolaji Dada, disclosed this during the silver jubilee celebration of the agency held at Victoria Island.
Sanwo-Olu described the OPD, established in 2000 under then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, as Attorney-General, as a “vital pillar” of Lagos State’s justice system.
“The OPD was born of a vision to make justice available to every Lagosian, not just the privileged. Today, that vision has become a reality,” he said.
According to the governor, the bureau has managed nearly 50,000 court cases, resolved 14,000 petitions through mediation, and recorded an 86 percent success rate in litigation. He stressed that beyond the statistics, its most profound impact lay in the human stories of families reunited, dignity restored, victims of abuse protected, and silenced voices heard.
Sanwo-Olu noted that the office was upgraded to the Bureau of Public Defender on March 20, 2025, to enhance efficiency and broaden its reach. He urged the agency to embrace digital innovation, strengthen partnerships, and deepen its commitment to defending the vulnerable.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, described the agency as a product of bold vision, noting that it had handled over 200,000 petitions since inception.
Pedro recalled how the OPD started as a modest unit under the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights before becoming a full-fledged agency with its headquarters in Surulere and nine offices across Lagos from Ajegunle to Ajah, Ikorodu to Epe, Badagry, Agege, Ogba, and Alimosho.
“The journey of the OPD proves that when the government, the Bar, the Bench, and civil society work together, the rule of law is strengthened and the vulnerable are protected,” he said.
Reflecting on his personal journey, Pedro, who joined the Ministry of Justice in 1987 and rose to become Solicitor-General before retiring in 2015, described witnessing the bureau’s evolution as both humbling and inspiring.
“I was there at the beginning when the OPD was conceived as a bold response to the urgent need to make justice accessible to every indigent Lagosian. To stand here 25 years later and see how far it has come is both humbling and inspiring,” he said.
