The current boss of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr Tony Ojukwu; former Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Ikeazor Akaraiwe; as well as former NBA Secretary General, Emeka Obegolu, on Thursday joined 69 other candidates who emerged successful at the 2021 award of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Ojukwu, who was shortlisted last year but did not make the list, was however successful this year.
Seventy-two candidates are successful from a total of 130 shortlisted for the award last month by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC).
The committee had shortlisted 95 candidates from the category of Advocates and 35 from the academics.
However, after the screening and interview, only 62 were successful from the Advocates category and 10 from the academics.
The successful candidates would however be conferred with the rank on December 8, at the Supreme Court by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad.
The list of the successful candidates, which was signed by the Acting Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court/ Secretary of the LPPC, Mrs Hajo Bello, noted that the decision to elevate the 72 candidates to the prestigious rank of SAN was taken at the LPPC’s 149 plenary session held on October 21, 2021.
She said that the rank of SAN is being “awarded as a mark of excellence to members of the legal profession who have distinguished themselves as advocates and academics”.
The LPPC had set up a sub-commitee to review the 2018 guidelines for the award of the rank effective from the 2023 application year.
Others that made the list from the academics included Prof. Bankole Sodipo, Prof. Christian Wigwe, Prof. Ajagbe Oyewo and Dr Josephine Agbonika.
Those in the Advocates category are George Anuga, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP); Simon Lough, Ayo Olorunfemi, Ehigie West-Idahosa and Reuben Atabo, amongst others. – Thisday.
