Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in
The conferment is made in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act 207 Section 5 (1) by the Legal Practitioners' Privileges Committee, headed by the
The title was first conferred on 3 April 1975. The recipients were Chief
A notable mention is Chief Henry Theodore Okeade Coker (H.T.O. Coker) who was conferred as a SAN in 1982 with serial number 32. H.T.O. Coker is the younger brother of High Chief Hon. Justice (Dr) G.B.A. Coker, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1964 to 1975.[5] G.B.A. Coker was appointed by Dr. Moses Majekodunmi to head the investigation into Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group, leading to Awolowo's imprisonment.
Since 1975, a varying number of advocates in Nigeria have consecutively been conferred with the rank, with the exception of years- 1976, 1977 and 1994. The conferment is however restricted to fewer than 30 advocates per annum and is made by the Chief Justice of Nigeria on the recommendations of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee.
As of 9 September 2019, a total of 526 advocates had become Senior Advocates of Nigeria.[6]
In 2023, Kayode Ajulo, a renowned lawyer and rights activist heralded other 57 lawyers to be conferred with the prestigious title.
References
- ^ SanAdmin. "index". SAN. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Legal Practitioners Act, Chapter 207, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (see §5)". Nigeria-law.org. 16 May 1975. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ List of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (February 11 2010)[dead link]
- ^ "Unprecedented - The Making of Three Women Senior Advocates". Allafrica.com. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Nigeria, Guardian (19 June 2015). "Henry Theodore Okeade Coker (1929-2015)". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ SanAdmin. "About Us". SAN. Retrieved 26 May 2020.