Justice Tanko to swear in 72 new SANs next Monday

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, will next Monday swear-in 72 legal practitioners recently elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SANs).

But spouses and friends of the 72 newly appointed SANs will not be allowed into the Courtroom as was done in the past, in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol.

The Director of Press and Information at the Supreme Court, Dr. Akande Festus, said in a statement on Monday that the administering of oath will be at the main Courtroom of the Supreme Court, adding that the event will formally flag off the 2020/2021 legal year of the Court.

The statement read in part: “In strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol, spouses and friends of the 72 newly appointed Senior Advocates will not be allowed into the Courtroom as was done in the past.

“Similarly, the number of dignitaries and other stakeholders will equally be limited as crowd will not be allowed inside the Courtroom.

“The Court’s Foyer will be handy to accommodate those who will not be admitted into the Courtroom, as the programme will be streamed live on the giants TV screens that are placed in strategic positions within the Court premises.

“For those that will be in their respective homes and offices, they can as well watch the various programmes live on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Zoom and other social media platforms, as we are ever poised to make everyone have a feel of every single event.

“The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria will, as usual, give the state of the judiciary address and also present the score card of the Supreme Court in the outgone legal year, while keeping the nation abreast of the developments in the Nigerian Judiciary.”

It would be recalled that the 2019/2020 legal year officially ended on Friday 11th September, 2020.

Even though normal court sittings started almost immediately after the formal end of the last legal year, no official ceremony has been held in accordance with the age-long tradition of the Supreme Court to formally herald the commencement of the new legal year, 2020/2021 due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic that has so far defiled all known medical interventions across the globe.