An Abuja based lawyer, Sanni Abbas, has reacted to the letter by Chief Awomolo, SAN, where he expressed fears over the position of NBA President being taken by a non Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Sanni in his statement sighted by LEGALDESKNG,he said that the assertion by the Learned Silk runs contrary to the provision of the NBA Constitution.

He also pointed out that the letter from Awolowo SAN, has only ignited a war between the Senior Advocates of Nigeria and Non-Senior Advocates.

Read his full statement:

Chief Awomolo’s letter: A catalyst towards dividing the Bar.

I woke up this morning to read with the highest level of disappointment that a very senior member of the bar can append his signature on such a letter.
The letter shows that the learned senior advocate has forgotten that he was called to the Nigerian Bar first as a lawyer and that every other title came after becoming a lawyer.

Chief Awomolo has a great understanding of the provisions of the constitution of the NIgerian Bar Association. The NBA Constitution makes it crystal clear what qualifications a lot person who wishes to be the president of the Bar must possess. Being an SAN, is certainly not one of such requirements.

May I respectfully refer the learned seinior advocate to the provisions of Section 8 of the NBA constitution as amended 2019 wherein the constitution does not provide that the president of the bar must be a senior Advocate of Nigerian. The suggestion by Chief Awomolo clearly runs counter to the Constitution. In fact the suggestion amounts to a call for a declaration of war by SAN against non/SANs who wishes to lead the Bar as well as amounts to an afront to the legitimate eight of lawyers to use their votes to choose a President of their choice.

This is why it is disheartening that among the pressing issues affecting the Bar, Chief Awomolo has only decide to pick on the issue of senior advocate leading the bar. GM think that such a divisive and self-serving suggestion is the best he has to offer for the progress of the Bar, is very worrisome. The learned senior advocate has not written a letter as to the issue of welfare of lawyers, he has also not proffered an opinion on the minimum wage to be paid by senior advocates even when it is in public domain how much many senior lawyers pay lawyers (peanuts). It’s an open secret that some Silk do not even pay close to what non senior advocates are paying i.e he pays take home that is not even enough to take you home.

May I also say that chief Awomolo’s letter is only targeted at Mr. Olumide Akpata the only candidate who is not a senior Advocate Amongst the three candidates vying for the office of the president of the NBA, because of what I have read today Mr. Olumide has my vote and as many as I can convince would vote for them. May I also enjoin other non senior Advocates to to see this letter as an insult to all us.

Conclusive, it is my honest opinion That chief Awomolo should withdraw that letter and apologize to the entire Bar because such a letter threatens the unity of the Bar. We cannot all become a senior advocate at the same time being a senior advocate is matter of interest and not a mandatory thing.