Body of Benchers to call 9,000 lawyers to bar in 2025

The Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, has announced that no fewer than 9,000 young lawyers will be called to the Bar as Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2025.

He made the announcement during the inauguration of the construction and furnishing of the Office Annex for the Body of Benchers in Abuja on Friday.

Awomolo emphasized that the core function of the Body of Benchers is to call Nigerians from all geopolitical zones to the Bar.

Since its inception, the body has called over 140,000 Nigerians to the Bar.

The chairman also commended the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, for his infrastructural support to the Body of Benchers, describing it as a significant contribution to the judicial system.

Awomolo acknowledged that no branch of government can perform its constitutional duties effectively without support from other branches and dismissed claims that the executive was attempting to influence the judiciary through infrastructure.

“The makers of our constitution foresaw the need for support, cooperation, and collaboration of the executive arm in areas of infrastructural facilities.

It does not amount to interference with the independence of either arm of government,” he said.

Awomolo also thanked President Bola Tinubu and Wike, a Life Bencher, for their commitment to providing essential infrastructure to the Nigerian Law School, Body of Benchers, and the judiciary.

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He referred to the construction of the Office Annex as “historical” in the body’s history.

In a show of appreciation, the Vice Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Olukayode Ariwoola, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, also praised Wike for his contributions to the judiciary.

Ariwoola decorated Wike with the emblem of the Body of Benchers and presented him with a plaque in recognition of his service to the legal profession.

Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, lauded Wike’s leadership and dedication, calling him a patriot and a distinguished public office holder.