Conferment Of The Rank Of Senior Advocate Of Nigeria: 2021 Exercise – Matters Arising

By Okpanachi Enape, Esq

Undoubtedly, the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is a privilege and highly prized amongst lawyers and the general public in Nigeria and indeed in the entire commonwealth.

The equivalent of the Rank of Senior Advocate in Nigeria is the Rank of Queen’s Counsel in England and Wales; and the rest of the commonwealth.

The Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria was first conferred on the 3^rd day of April, 1975. The beneficiaries were the legal titan and legendary Chief F.R.A Williams and Dr. Nabo Graham-Douglas, then Attorney General of the Federation.

Presently, there are 197,015 lawyers called to the Nigerian bar. Amongst this number about 120,000 are active advocates in litigation. The other lawyers called to the Nigerian Bar are not involved in active legal practice/advocacy.

Since the inception of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the Rank has been conferred on 636 Legal Practitioners and Academicians. So many of the revered old brigade Senior Advocates are no more. Presently, there are less than 250 active Senior Advocates of Nigeria alive and kicking.

In England and Wales where the Rank of Queen’s Counsel applies, there are about 17,000 Barristers with about 1698 Queen’s Counsel.

In the 2020 Senior Advocate of Nigeria Exercise, 72 Advocates and Academicians were conferred with the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria whereas in England, 116 were conferred with the Rank of silk.

After that conferment, there was needless uproar by minority members of The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN).

In the 2021 Exercise, these minority members of BOSAN have advocated that the number should be severely cut down and/or even suspended.

ARE THESE CALLS JUSTIFIED?

Statistics don’t lie. The numbers in Nigeria and in England and Wales are available for all to see.

Without a doubt, with each passing year, the conditions for the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria get stiffer and stiffer and more difficult to satisfy.

For example, it takes a minimum of 10 years to conclude a civil appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Each applicant is expected to have a minimum of 3 or 4 Supreme Court final judgments, as the case may be, on the merits of the case.

Presently, in the 2021 Exercise, after the First and Second Filtrations and the appeal process, 95 Applicants have been shortlisted.

All these 95 Applicants if they succeed in the office inspection exercise are qualified for the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

On what basis would anyone be denied the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria or preferred against the other.

The majority view amongst lawyers and even majority of Senior Advocates of Nigeria is that as many as have gone through the First and Second Filtrations, which in itself is a

herculean task, should be conferred with the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Instead of reducing the number of conferment, the number should go up. Statistics don’t lie. The numbers in Nigeria, England and Wales speak for themselves and indeed the rest of the commonwealth.

The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee and the Honourable Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria should harken to the voice of the people. The voice of the people is the voice of God. Anyone who harkens to the voice of God is on good standing and on the right side of history.

Written By OKPANACHI ENAPE, ESQ, THE ENAPSONS & CO, BARRISTERS, AND SOLICITORS, BOBSAR COMPLEX, MICHIKA STREET, AREA 11, ABUJA