Akwa Ibom man has been admitted into the prestigious cadre of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, LPPC.
He is Essien G.E. Udom who was among the 31 lawyers so honoured by the council chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.
Essien, an indigene of Etinan local government area of Akwa Ibom State and a brother to Barrister Ime Udom, a one-time Presidential aspirant in the country is a 1982 graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University in London.
He is the 10th Akwa Ibom lawyer to be invested with the status. Others are the late Akpan Ekong Bassey, Paul Usoro, Chief Assam Ekanem Assam, Uko Essien Udom, Prof. Enefiok Essien, Offiong Effiong Bassey Offiong, Dorothy Udeme Ufot, Solomon Umoh Eyibio and Nnamonso Udo Ekanem.
Among other 30 lawyers listed for SANships were Mr Edmund Obiagwu, National Coordinator, Legal Defence Assistance Project, LEDAP; Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University; Mosediq Kazeem and Adekola Olawole, Attorney-Generals of Lagos and Ondo states.
The legal body took the decision at the end of its 133rd plenary session in Abuja.
The SAN rank is awarded as a mark of excellence to members of the legal profession that distinguished themselves as advocates and academics.
Privileges that accrue to holders of the rank who are regarded as members of the inner bar, include sitting at the front row in courts and having their cases called up first.
Mrs. Hadizatu Mustapha, Secretary of the LLPC, who briefed newsmen shortly after the body concluded its plenary session at the Supreme Court, disclosed that the 31 new SANS were selected from a total of 106 lawyers that applied for the rank.
She revealed that whereas 83 of the applications came from lawyers under the advocate category, 23 of them were from the academic category.
Mrs. Mustapha added that though two women applied, only one of them qualified.
Among the successful applicants were Prof. Isa Chiroma, the Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, Adekola Olawole, Oba Maduabuchi, Prof. Oluyemisi Bamgbose, Metong Urombo, Prof Wahab Egbewole, George Igbokwe, Emmanuel Achukwu, Kenneth Ahia, Louis Alozie, Adeyinka Olumide-Fasuki, Johnson Ojoro, Wole Agunbiade, Olayode Delano.
Others are Tanimu Inuwa, Sonny Wogu, Prof. Offorinze Amucheazi, Adewale Atake, Ikhide Ehighelua, Prof. Muhammed Akanbi, Cosmas Enweluzo, Ishaka Mudi and Olabode Olanipekun.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, will swear-in the new SANs during the 2018/2019 New Legal Year of the Supreme Court scheduled for September 24.
