He sated this in an address at the flag-off of the 2013 Annual General Conference of the NBA Monday in Calabar.
Represented at the occasion by Mr Mohammed Adoke, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Jonathan said the  theme reflected the centrality of law in the economic and sociopolitical spheres of Nigeria.
“The theme of this year’s conference-“Law, Leadership and  Challenges of Nationhood in the 21st Century Nigeria” is particularly  significant.
“It takes cognizance of the centrality of law in the economic and sociopolitical spheres of our Nation, as well as, Nigeria’s quest  for transformational leadership. as we prepare to celebrate 100 years of our existence as a Nation.
“ I therefore congratulate the leadership of the Bar for this initiative and for organising what promises to be a very successful  conference.
“I am delighted to have been invited to present an Address at the Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Annual General Conference of the  Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
“I commend our amiable President, Mr. OkeyWali, SAN, for his  inspirational leadership and the Members of the Executive Committee for  their committed service to our great Association.
The president also congratulated Gov. Liyel Imok for being “ a worthy Ambassador of the Bar in governance in the present democratic  dispensation’’.
According to him Imoke’s “developmental stride bears glowing  testimony of his astuteness and able leadership in handling the affairs  of the State’’.
Jonathan also restated the pre-eminent position of the law in the development agenda of nation States.
“Through the works of Dean Roscoe Pound, we have come to  appreciate the potency and limitations of law as a tool of social  engineering.
“There is no doubt that any society, which desires to bring  about social justice, and development will ultimately address the  functionality and centrality of law.
“In my respectful view, social justice and a developmental  perspective to nation’s legal system requires that the rule of law must  be sacrosanct.
“This fundamental concept entails that rights (including  economic rights) are protected and that arbitrary powers of the State  are curbed by the prescription of rules and codes that regulate and  sanction,’’ he said.
He said that the Nigerian courts have done well in spite of   “controversies that attend political rivalries and contests within and  outside political parties; in the course of evolving sustainable  constitutional principles for our democracy’’.
“And in the face of security challenges, the courts have  dispensed justice according to the law and our constitutional evolution  has benefited immensely from their interventions.
“As we prepare to celebrate 100 years of nationhood, we must  continue to have faith in the ability of the law to regulate our conduct both in public and private spheres and serve as a mechanism for  resolving disputes’,’’ he said.
He also listed a number of challenges for nation states  whether developed or developing most prominent which is how to ensure  the security of lives and property in the face of increasing global  terrorism;
He said that other challenges included how to protect the  rights and liberties of the people in the midst of competing social  norms and how to achieve economic development and improvement in living  conditions of the people.
“In Nigeria, the challenges of nationhood are more pronounced in the areas of security, fostering of national unity and democratic  consolidation.
“The threat of global terrorism hitherto considered an alien phenomenon has unfortunately found a place in our nation.
“ Media reports of terrorist attacks on innocent citizens,  members of the armed forces and police and our critical infrastructure  have continued to weigh heavily on the cost of governance and the  ability of the citizenry to carry out their social and economic  activities with grave consequences for the nation.
“In its determined effort to combat the insurgency;  government has had to impose a State of Emergency in three states in the Northeast geopolitical zone, (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe)
“The administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,  GCFR is already implementing the Transformation Agenda, which seeks to  reform governance and other critical sectors of the economy.
“The transformation is expected to place Nigeria on a firm  footing and generally prepare Nigeria to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, as well as, address her peculiar challenges,’’ he said.
Earlier, the President of the NBA, Mr Okey Wali, had appealed  to security agencies in Nigeria to ensure the release of Chief Mike  Ozekhome, from kidnappers.
He lamented at the alarming security situation in the country saying it has now passed crises point.
The NBA boss also said at the opening session of the 53rd annual  conference of the NBA at the Tinapa Business Resort Calabar that the  kidnap of Ozekhome was a sad commentary on the state of our national  security.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to standing up to the security challenges iin Nigeria.
He said the members of the bar were very sad that “the new faces of crime like kidnapping, terrorism, insurgency, cyber crime, etc in  recent times have led to the loss of precious lives of Nigerians’’.
“The Nigeria Bar Association condemns the kidnapping of Chief Mike  Ozekhome, SAN.  We call on those responsible to please release him  immediately.
“ We also call on the federal government to intensify efforts at ensuring that the security of lives and property of Nigerians are  emphasised practically,’’ he said.
In his goodwill address, the Inspector-General of Police,  Mohammed Abubakar said that the NBA and the Police would always  collaborate for national security.
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River also challenged the NBA to come out with a framework that will impact positively on nation  development.