ABUJA – Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has warned that the Nigerian judiciary cannot afford to rest on its oars, insisting that while progress has been made, reform must remain a continuous and uncompromising duty.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025/26 Supreme Court Legal Year in Abuja, where 57 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) were sworn in, Ubani described the ceremony as both a celebration of honour and a call to sober reflection.
“The Nigerian judiciary is not where it was last year. Where we stood then is not where we stand today. Measurable progress has been made at both substantive and procedural levels of jurisprudence,” Ubani said.
“But there is no room for complacency. Reform is not a completed task. The challenges raised by the NBA President, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Chief Wole Olanipekun remind us that the duty to reform is a daily responsibility of both the Bar and the Bench.”
At the ceremony, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, presented a progress report on reforms undertaken under her leadership and urged the new silks to uphold humility and integrity. The Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency, efficiency and access to justice.
On his part, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, speaking for the Body of Senior Advocates, urged the Supreme Court to stabilise the doctrine of precedent, stressing that reversing itself in deserving cases should not be seen as weakness but as fidelity to justice.
However, the sharpest intervention came from NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, who flagged three urgent issues: the need for constitutional clarity on suspension of democratic institutions during emergency rule, the plight of Bright Ngene in Enugu whose appeal has been stalled by judicial recusals, and the need for bail reform to prevent punitive conditions that deny liberty to ordinary Nigerians.
Ubani noted that these interventions gave the ceremony its true weight. According to him, the elevation of 57 new SANs was not just about personal honour but also about responsibility.
“Every silk carries the heavy burden of justice. They must not only defend the dignity of the profession but also serve as beacons of hope for the common man,” he said.
