By Nkereuwem U Akpan
It is with respect and great unease that I’m unable to agree with Mrs. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, SAN on the above subject.
I say so because the very Fundamental of creating the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is discarded and a time comes when lecturers will take over the inner bar and advocates shall be in minority.
If we must continue in what most senior lawyers think it’s a downward spiral in standards and a watering down of the criteria, then the entire concept of SAN should either be reconfigured and recalibrated starting from the name.
A law teacher without any background in advocacy being made a SENIOR ADVOCATE” not only stands logic on its head but doesn’t even accord with Common sense.
The very purpose of being elevated to the rank of SENIOR ADVOCATE was meant to encourage advocates in much the same way as law teachers become Professors at the Zenith of their careers
Opening an avenue for law teachers who have attained the height of becoming professors to also double as,”Advocates”, (without requisite advocacy skills) makes a mockery of the whole idea behind the scheme, besides lowering the criteria for them.
We have a problem in this country with a mad rush for titles. A professor of law is not content with merely being a professor but must add SAN OFR MON MFR MCI Arb etc, etc. For those of us who travel, we are a laughing stock outside our shores.
If the powers that be insists on continuing this obvious ludicrous and sad misadventure then let’s stop calling it SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA, it’s illogical, ludicrous and simply doesn’t add up.
Nkereuwem U Akpan, Esq. writes from Abuja FCT
