The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title is a privilege that should not be misused, according to Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). He has emphasized that it is not an unalienable right and that it can be revoked if holders fail to meet expectations.
According to reports, Fagbemi made the comments on Saturday in Lagos during a dinner hosted by the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) to mark the esteemed position’s 50th anniversary.
Kamarudeen Ogundele, Minister of Justice and Special Adviser to the President (Communication and Publicity) in the Office of the AGF, made his remarks in a statement released on Sunday.
“There are people among us who seem to view the rank as a license for misbehavior and indiscipline, believing that once it is granted, it cannot be taken away,” Fagbemi stated. Naturally, that isn’t true.
“The rank is a privilege, and it can be revoked if the recipient denigrates the privilege or lives below its standards, just like any other privilege.”
The Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) had explicitly stated that the SAN title was temporary and might be revoked from individuals who erred, the AGF reaffirmed.
Instead of depending just on external regulating systems, Fagbemi, who also serves as BOSAN’s chair, advocated for discipline to start internally within the organization.
“Our bodies must be the first to enforce discipline internally. He stated, “It is actually preferable that we, as a Body, exercise self-regulation rather than placing the full responsibility for regulating the Rank on the LPPC or, worse, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).”
While reminding Senior Advocates to maintain high ethical standards, he also urged junior lawyers to respect the rank and warned them against treating SANs disrespectfully.
A total of 134 new SANs—87 from the 2024 set and 57 from the 2025 set—were formally inducted into BOSAN during the dinner event.
During the occasion, five legal students from Nigerian universities were also awarded scholarships.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who was the honored special guest, was also commended by Fagbemi. He pointed out that the SAN rank and the legal profession as a whole had benefited much from the continued cooperation between BOSAN and the LPPC.
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