THE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will swear in 58 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) on Monday, November 27, 2023, at the Supreme Court’s main Courtroom, as part of the Court’s programs for the 2023/2024 legal year.
The CJN will also deliver a state-of-the-judiciary address during the special court session in line with an age-old tradition, highlighting the performance of the Apex Court and the Nigerian judiciary in general during the 2022/2023 legal year.
Dr Akande Festus, the Apex Court’s Director of Press and Information, made this known in a press statement in Abuja.
According to him, during the event, several key stakeholders in the Justice Sector will deliver speeches on the state of the country’s justice sector.
Among them are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) had previously received 114 applications for the award of the status of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2023.
There are also 101 campaigners and 13 professors among the group.
The total number of qualified applicants shortlisted after the Advocates 1st and 2nd Filtration Stages, Academic Pre-qualification, Academic 2nd Filtration Exercise, the Independent Appeals Hearing and Chambers Inspection Exercises was 69 comprising 57 advocates and 12 academics.
The LPPC also identified 58 successful candidates after conducting the specified screening and filtration exercises, which included a number of appearances in superior courts, recommendations by Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of superior courts, Chamber inspections, and approval on eligibility and integrity of the candidates from the Nigerian Bar Association, Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and the general public, among others.
Out of the figure, 57 are advocates while one is an academic.
