New Senior Advocates to be Sworn In as 2024/2025 Legal Year Begins

Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, is set to swear in 87 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) on Monday, September 30, 2024, marking the official start of the 2024/2025 legal year . This ceremony will take place in the main courtroom of the Supreme Court at 10:00 AM, with all stakeholders invited to participate .

Justice Kekere-Ekun’s appointment as CJN was confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on September 25, and this ceremony will be her first official event in her new role. The Supreme Court resumed sessions on September 23 after its annual vacation, which began on July 22.

According to Dr. Festus Akande, the Supreme Court’s Director of Information, the ceremony will follow tradition, with Justice Kekere-Ekun delivering a state-of-the-judiciary address. This address will highlight the performance of the Supreme Court and the Nigerian judiciary during the 2023/2024 legal year.

Other prominent figures in the justice sector will also present speeches, including the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and the President of the Nigerian Bar Association .

The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) selected the 87 new SANs from a list of 98 lawyers. To qualify for the SAN title, lawyers must have at least ten years of experience and demonstrate excellence in the legal profession.

The SAN title is an honorific designation conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria who have distinguished themselves as courtroom advocates or in legal academia. Justice Kekere-Ekun, a renowned jurist, has delivered several landmark judgments and rulings during her tenure as a justice of the Supreme Court.

Some of her notable judgments include the cases of Hope Uzodinma v. Emeka Ihedioha, Adeleke v. Oyetola, and Nyesom Wike v. Dakuku Peterside .

The formal legal year ceremony is expected to be attended by stakeholders in the justice sector, marking a significant milestone in the legal calendar.