By Henry Ojelu
ABUJA – Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has described the 2025/26 Supreme Court Legal Year as both a celebration of honour and a moment of sober reflection, stressing that while the judiciary has made measurable progress, the task of reform is far from over.
Ubani, who witnessed the ceremony in Abuja where 57 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) were sworn in, said the event proved that Nigeria’s justice system is not stagnant but steadily moving forward.
“Where we stood last year is not where we stand today,” he said, pointing to what he called “measurable progress at both substantive and procedural levels of jurisprudence.”
However, he cautioned that the challenges raised by key voices at the ceremony – including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and former NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN – were reminders that reform must remain an ongoing duty.
At the ceremony, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, presented a progress report on judicial reforms under her leadership and urged the new silks to uphold integrity and humility. The Attorney-General assured that the Federal Government is committed to strengthening transparency and access to justice, while Olanipekun called on the Court to stabilise the doctrine of precedent in the face of conflicting judgments.
But it was the NBA President’s intervention that struck the deepest chord. Osigwe highlighted unresolved constitutional questions about the limits of executive power during emergency rule, condemned the plight of citizens like Bright Ngene in Enugu whose appeal has been delayed by judicial recusals, and demanded reforms to Nigeria’s bail system which he said unfairly punishes the poor.
Ubani said these interventions gave the ceremony a deeper meaning.
The conferment of silk, he noted, is not just a personal achievement but “a reminder of the heavy burden borne by the advocate – to serve as guardian of justice and beacon of hope for the common man.”
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