A LAY-PERSON'S GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE BLUE SILKS RANK OF SENIOR COUNSEL OF NIGERIA-SCN - By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN, Chief Blue Silk of Nigeria.

Dear All,

Please find below clarification on the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN:

1. LEGAL BASIS

The Blue Silks rank has both constitutional and statutory backing.

Constitutional: 

Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution - Freedom of Association.

Statutory: Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, SMEDAN Act 2003, NASC Act 2014.

The Nigerian Law Society, BOSCON and ALDRAP are all registered Incorporated Trustees with CAC, just as the NBA. Certificates for NLS and BOSCON were issued on 30th December 2025. The Incorporated Trustees of ALDRAP received its certificate in the year 2017.

2. KEY COURT JUDGMENTS and DECISIONS

December 2023: Hon. Justice Gladys Olotu of the Federal High Court Abuja held that Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution grants right of freedom of association for Nigerian lawyers to form the Nigerian Law Society-NLS and therefore ordered CAC to register NLS and affirmed lawyers’ right to form NLS.

27th January 2026: Hon. Justice Mohammed Garba of the Federal High Court Abuja Umar held that NBA and LPPC cannot regulate matters (such as the Blue Silks) which are not specifically mentioned inside the Legal Practitioners Act 1962. Since the Blue Silks is not mentioned inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 neither the NBA nor the LPPC have regulatory power over the Blue Silks. IT IS THE EXCLUSIVE PRESERVE OF THE NLS, and BOSCON.

3. INTERNAL AFFAIRS

The conferment of the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN is an internal affair of NLS and BOSCON. Only the leadership and members of the NLS and BOSCON can regulate the Blue Silks, in line with the same principle that NBA applies to self-regulate its own affairs to the exclusion of outsiders.

4. COMPARISON AND SIMILARITY WITH THE RANK OF SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA (SAN)

The criteria for conferement of the rank of SAN are also not explicitly listed inside the Legal Practitioners Act 1962. They are enacted as Guidelines by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee-LPPC pursuant to powers conferred by the establishment statue. Similarly, the guidelines for conferement of the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN are drafted by the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (BOSCON) pursuant to the establishment statues of both the BOSCON and the NLS.

Both NBA and NLS/BOSCON/LPPC are creations of National Assembly statutes.

5. PURPOSE AND NEW REQUIREMENTS

The Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN is a rank for legal excellence for non-litigation lawyers who are members of NLS. Assessment is by BOSCON.

The three categories are:

1. Senior Legislative Counsel of Nigeria-SELCON

2. Senior Legal Academic-SLA; and

3. Senior Corporate Counsel-SCC

Additionally, there is a new requirements for all applicants to complete:

a 1hour 30mins virtual course on Alternatives to Traditional Legal Practice administered by the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town. This is in addition to BOSCON's verification of 35 verifiable non-litigation transactions submitted by each applicant.

6. NATIONAL OFFICERS OF THE NIGERIAN LAW SOCIETY (NLS) 2026 TO 2028 are as follows:

1. President: Ambassador Dahiru Aliyu, Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN

2. Vice-President: Ms. Abiodun Olaitan; and

3. Executive Director: Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN

CONCLUSION

The Nigerian Law Society-NLS maintains that the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN is a valid parallel rank to SAN, created and regulated internally pursuant to the statutes under which both the NLS, BOSCON and incorporated trustees of ALDRAP were established and therefore not under the regulation of either the NBA or LPPC which handles the SAN.

Signed,

Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN

Chief Blue Silk of Nigeria

+2349056760119