The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee on Friday conferred the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 21 lawyers.
The successful lawyers include, National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire, Dr. Oladapo Olanipekun, who is a son of a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Emeka Etiaba, a son of a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba.
Also benefited were Legal Services of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Ibrahim Bawa; Edward Ashiekaa, Benson Nwankwo, Joseph Bamigboye, Patrick Okolo, Prof. Maxwell Gidado, Dr. Tahir Mamman, and Dr. Akinpelu Onigbinde.
Others were Samuel Zibiri, Adeniyi Adegbonmire, Aderibigbe Adedeji, Emmanuel Aguma, Abimbola Akeredolu, Olumuyiwa Akinboro, Gordy Uche, Uchechukwu Obi, Kehinde Eleja and Prof. Paul Idornigie.
Gidado, Mamman, and Idornigie were of the academic category while the rest of the 18 lawyers were conferred with the rank as advocates.
The only female among the 21 successful lawyers, Akeredolu, was one of the three females in a total of 124 applicants that applied for the rank when the application entry opened in January.
Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Secretary to the LPPC, Ahmed Saleh, announced the name of the successful lawyers at a press conference on Friday.
He said the rank was conferred on the 21 lawyers at the 119th general meeting of the LPPC on Friday “as a mark of excellence to the under listed members of the legal profession.”
The 21 lawyers were selected after an interview of the 50 shortlisted candidates held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Keyamo was shortlisted for the final interview last year but did not make the final list. This made the second time he got so close to getting the rank after previous attempts that failed to earn him an opportunity for the final interview.
Also, a former National Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olusola Oke, who is now an APC member, was also shortlisted for this year’s final interview but failed to make the final list.
The LPPC secretary, while briefing journalists, said 124 applicants applied for the rank.
Saleh said the 21 lawyers would be sworn in on September 21 at a special court session marking the beginning of the 2015/2016 legal year.
The new SANs will join 408 lawyers both living and dead who had been conferred with the rank since its inception in 1975.
