AGF urges discipline among law professionals

Fagbemi spoke at the weekend in Lagos at a dinner organised by the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the rank.

The minister is the BOSAN chairman.

At the event, 134 graduands of the BOSAN Induction Programme – the 2024 set of 87 SANs and 2025 set of 57 SANs – were formally welcomed into the Body.

A statement by the minister’s media aide,

Kamarudeen Ogundele, said five students of various faculties of law in Nigerian universities were also awarded scholarships.

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Thanking the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who, as the special guest of honour, delivered the dinner lecture, the AGF said the partnership between the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) under her headship and that of the BOSAN had served to elevate the rank and, more broadly, strengthen and advance the legal profession.

He said: “There are those among us who appear to regard the Rank as a licence for misconduct and indiscipline, under the mistaken belief that once conferred, it is inalienable. That, of course, is not correct! The Rank is a privilege, and, like all privileges, it can be withdrawn if the recipient denigrates or lives below the standard of the privilege...”

“The LPPC has made that very clear in its extant Regulations. But this goes beyond the LPPC. Enforcing discipline must start in-house, from our Body. It is, in fact, best that we, as a Body, self-regulate and not foist the entire burden of regulating the Rank on the LPPC or, worse, the LPDC. My take is that it is better to lead by example rather than precept.”