A former Lagos Branch Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Chijioke Okoli (SAN) has said he applied for the prestigious silk rank consecutively for seven years before he got it.
He called for a review of the process, such as the publication of names of shortlisted applicants.
Okoli said he was shortlisted for seven times, with his name published in newspapers on each occasion, yet no petition was written against him.
According to him, not being conferred with the rank after being shortlisted and one’s name published may create the wrong impression about an applicant.
This, he said, is because the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), which confers the rank, does not offer any explanations as to why some people were left out.
He said there was “so much emotional investment” in the application process, adding that there was always a “collateral damage” when an applicant does not get the rank after their name have been published.
Okoli spoke in Lagos during a dinner/lecture to mark his conferment with the rank. It was organised by “Friends of Chijioke Okoli” in collaboration with NBA Lagos Branch and an association of Igbo lawyers, the Otu Oka-Iwu (Law Society).
Recalling his experience, he said: “For seven years I was shortlisted. I would be ‘called’ in terms of being shortlisted, but not ‘chosen’. For nearly 10 years I was in the ‘wilderness’, but I didn’t quit. One of the most tasking things in life is to apply for SAN.”
While he would love to see some changes made in the process, he urged lawyers Ayet to get the rank not to give up.
He said it sometimes requires the “tenacity of not giving up” to get the rank, adding: “Don’t be bitter. If God says you will get it, you will.”
A partner at Ajumogobia and Okeke, Mr Chris Okeke, who chaired the event, described Okoli as a man with “clarity of thought and superior intellect”, adding that “Nigeria needs the Chijiokes”.
He urged the celebrator to do more to contribute to the society, saying: “The journey does not end here. There is so much you can accomplish.”
Okoli is a 1987 graduate of the University of Jos. He holds two Masters Degrees – an LLM in Sports Law and Practice from De Montfort University, Leicester, England, and a Masters in Political Science from the University of Lagos.
A specialist in commercial litigation, he is also renowned as a pioneering sports lawyer. He was the first General Counsel for Team Nigeria over a decade ago.
Besides serving as Chairman of NBA Lagos Branch, Okoli also served as a prosecutor for NBA’s Disciplinary Committee of the Body of Benchers.
Among guests at the event were former Anambra State Governor Mr Peter Obi, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Ade Ipaye, who delivered the lecture, Justices Christopher Balogun and Oyindamola Ogala, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Head of Legal, Mr Anselm Ozioko, who represented the acting chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, among others.
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