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Human rights
activist and lawyer, Tunji Abayomi, has joined the call by some lawyers
for the scrap of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) titles, saying the
title was no longer serving the purpose it was initiated for.

Mr. Abayomi, in an
interview with NEXT in Akure, said the award of SAN titles to lawyers
has destroyed the very fundamentality of equality among lawyers.

The Nigeria Bar
Association, at its recently concluded election, had equally directed
all its branches in the country to review the award of SAN to lawyers.

The award has generated controversies among lawyers, several of whom said the honour was no longer relevant to the profession.

An oligarchy

Mr. Abayomi, who
has practised for over thirty years but is not one of those bestowed
with the award, said SAN award has become a professional oligarchy in a
profession of equal members. He also said the call for the scrapping of
the title was not borne out of unnecessary malice or envy.

‘It does not add anything to my reputation as a lawyer. Rather, it will take something out of it,” he said.

“It is not because
I am not given. If I want it, I will apply because I am highly
qualified. I meet all the criteria. I don’t just like it because it
creates master servant relationship at the bar. The very fundamentality
of equality has been destroyed by subjective conferment of senior
advocate of Nigeria.

“SAN is absurd. Is
it an honour or a promotion? If it is an honour, why applying for it?
Why lobby for it? On the other hand, if it is a promotion, it should be
applicable to everybody because if you want to be a fellow of West
African College of Physicians, you have to pass through examination,”
he said.

He lamented that
those who have the titles are using it to oppress junior lawyers in
court, stressing that SANship only adds personal glorification to the
profession.

“We don’t see them
campaign for the rights of the people. I have not seen SAN oligarchy
campaigning for the down trodden masses. How many of them stood against
dictatorship? The only thing it has brought for them is abuse of
professional power and undue charges simply because of the title.

“It has done tremendous damage to the development of legal
profession. No distinguished lawyer can emerge under the oppressive
umbrella of this SANship,” he said.