INTRODUCTION
The department was created on the 27th of of October, 2016 following a circular from the Hon. Minister of Science and Technology to the effect. The department, under the headship of the Legal Adviser Yahaya, Isah Akor Esq, is obligated to provide comprehensive legal services to the Agency and its centers.
These services range from legal drafting, preparation of bonds, contracts agreements, Memorandum of Understanding, vetting of international legal instruments among others.
The department is structured into divisions and units in accordance with its functions and duties. It has 3 broad divisions ie. Legal drafting, litigation and counseling. While vetting, draft, legal research, legal opinion, collaborative international instruments are the units of the departments.
Litigations are jointly handle in consultation with the legal unit of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. Here the department ensures that relevant documents and persons are made available to the legal team for an effective service delivery.
The department also represents the Agency and the country at large at all international space law fora such as the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer space (UNCOPUOS), the International Institute of Space Law and Policy, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) among others.