The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, will on Monday swear-in 38 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) at the main Courtroom of the Supreme Court.
A statement by the Director, Press and Information of the Supreme Court, Dr Festus Akande said, the swearing-in ceremony is one of the several programmes lined up to herald the 2019/2020 legal year of the apex Court.
As customary, during such programmes, the CJN will deliver a state-of-the Judiciary address which highlights the performance of the Supreme Court, and by extension, the Nigerian Judiciary in the outgoing 2018/2019 legal year.
The statement recalled that out of the 117 legal practitioners that applied for the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2019, 38 were successful at the end of the rigorous exercise.
 Out of this number, the statement said three are academics while 35 are advocates.
The Solicitor-General of the Federation (SGF) and Permanent Secretary, in the Federal Ministry of Justice Adedayo Apata and 37 others will today be elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Other beneficiary of the SAN title as announced by the Chief Registrar of Supreme Court, Hadizatu Mustapha, who doubles as the secretary of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee include, a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and Mrs. Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour, who is the wife of a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour.
Mustapha said, “out of the 117 lawyers that applied for the title, 38 of them succeeded and elevated by the LPPC at the committee’s 138th plenary session held on Thursday.”
The successful candidates according to her, will be sworn in at the ceremony marking the upcoming new 2019/2020 legal year of the apex court which will hold on Monday.
Others include, Abdullahi Haruna, Manga Nuruddeen, John Asoluka, Adedokun Makinde, Daniel Enwelum, Emmanuel Oyebanji, Tuduru Ede, Abdul Ajana, Ama Etuwewe, Oladipo Olasope, Leslie Olutayo Nylander, Olusegun Fowowe and Andrew Hutton.
They also include, Olukayode Enitan, Paul Ogbole, Olaniyi Olopade, Samuel Agweh, Olusegun Jolaawo, Prof. Alphonsus Alubo, Ayo Asala, Abiodun Olatunji, Olumide Aju, Chimezie Ihekweazu, Prof. Mamman Lawan, Prof. Uchefula Chukwumaeze, Usman Sule, Safiya Badamasi, and Echezona Etiaba.
The rest are Godwin Omoaka, Emeka Ozoani, Alexander Ejesieme, Jephthah Njikonye, Aikhunegbe Malik, Alhassan Umar and Oyetola Muyiwa.
While announcing the list on Friday, the Supreme Court’s Chief Registrar said four of the 117 applicants were female, among whom two were successful.
Of the 38 successful candidates, three of them are of the academics category while the rest of them are of advocacy.
Mustapha said, “The rank (SAN), is awarded as a mark of excellence to members of the legal profession who have distinguished themselves as advocates and academics.
The Supreme Court commenced its annual vacation after a remarkably successful 2018/2019 legal year on Monday 29 July 2019.
All the programmes billed to mark the commencement of the new legal year are to start at 10:am, Akande added in the statement.
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