Ibrahim Muhammad, the chief justice of Nigeria, CJN, I will on December 14, 2020, administer the oath on the 72 lawyers recently elevated to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Festus Akande, the spokesman of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the event will hold at the main courtroom as part of events to formally flag off the court’s 2020/2021 legal year.
He said: “It will be recalled that 2019/2020 legal year officially ended on Friday 11th September 2020.
“Even though normal court sittings started almost immediately after the formal end of the last legal year, no official ceremony has been held in accordance with the age-long tradition of the Supreme Court to formally herald the commencement of the new legal year, 2020/2021 due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic that has so far defiled all known medical interventions across the globe.
“However, in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol, spouses, and friends of the 72 newly appointed Senior Advocates will not be allowed into the courtroom as was done in the past.
“Similarly, the number of dignitaries and other stakeholders will equally be limited as the crowd will not be allowed inside the courtroom.
“The court’s foyer will be handy to accommodate those who will not be admitted into the courtroom, as the programme will be streamed live on the giant’s TV screens that are placed in strategic positions within the court premises.
“For those that will be in their respective homes and offices, they can as well watch the various programmes live on YouTube, Twitters, Instagram, Facebook, Zoom, and other social media platforms, as we are ever poised to make everyone have a feel of every single event.
“The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria will, as usual, give the state of the judiciary address and also present the scorecard of the Supreme Court in the outgone legal year, while keeping the nation abreast of the developments in the Nigerian Judiciary.”
