They gave the admonition on Monday at the Supreme Court’s opening of the 2026/2027 legal year in Abuja.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, have urged newly elevated Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to uphold professional ethics and accountability amid concerns about declining public confidence in the justice system.
They stressed that the prestigious rank carries responsibilities to the legal profession and the public and must not shield its holders from scrutiny over their conduct.
They also highlighted wider concerns about professional misconduct, delays in resolving disciplinary complaints and the need for the justice system to earn Nigerians’ confidence through accountability and effective service.
The annual legal year ceremony marks the formal commencement of a new judicial year at the Supreme Court and provides an opportunity for the judiciary and the wider legal profession to reflect on their work and responsibilities in the administration of justice.
The occasion also features the conferment of the rank of SAN, one of the highest professional distinctions in the country’s legal profession, on lawyers who have demonstrated exceptional distinction in advocacy or made significant contributions to legal scholarship.
At Monday’s ceremony, Mrs Kekere-Ekun administered the oath to 67 advocates and one academic, Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, a professor of law at Imo State University, Owerri, and a former dean of its Faculty of Law. Four women were among the 68 recipients.
The new SANs had been approved by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee at its 174th plenary session in July.
Mrs Kekere-Ekun, who presided over the ceremony, reminded the new SANs that their elevated status carried responsibilities to the legal profession and the public and did not exempt them from accountability.
“The Inner Bar is not merely a recognition of professional success; it is a call to leadership,” she said, urging the new SANs to carry the rank with dignity, humility and a deep sense of responsibility.
She added that disciplinary action against senior members of the profession during the previous legal year should remind lawyers that professional distinction did not replace ethical conduct.
“The fact that a lawyer has attained the rank of Senior Advocate does not place him beyond accountability,” she said.
The CJN also condemned the use of social media to intimidate judges, ridicule legal practitioners and turn professional disagreements into personal attacks.
She warned that the integrity of the justice system depended on allowing judges to decide cases without fear of retaliation and lawyers to make legitimate submissions without intimidation.
With another electoral season approaching, she cautioned judges against political associations or conduct that could create an appearance of partiality.
She also urged lawyers to avoid forum shopping and the filing of multiple proceedings seeking substantially similar reliefs, warning that such practices could produce conflicting orders and delay other cases.
She noted that the judiciary must remain accessible to all litigants, adding that politically prominent cases should not prevent other cases from receiving timely attention. Lawyers, she stressed, had a duty to disclose related proceedings and respect the jurisdiction and processes of other courts.
On the Supreme Court’s workload, Mrs Kekere-Ekun reported an increase in the number of matters handled during the 2025/2026 legal year.
“During the 2025/2026 Legal Year, the Supreme Court handled 2,456 matters, comprising 1,179 general civil motions, 573 criminal motions, 13 Sharia-related motions and 676 appeals.”
She said the appeals comprised 433 general civil appeals, 212 criminal appeals, 19 political appeals, 12 Sharia appeals and 10 originating summons.
The court delivered 411 judgments during the period, compared with 369 judgments and rulings from 2,280 matters in the preceding legal year.
She acknowledged that the figures alone could not fully measure the court’s performance but highlighted measures introduced to reduce its backlog.
These included scheduling 1,385 matters for regular sittings, bringing 733 older cases forward, disposing of 178 moribund matters in chambers and removing 125 concluded cases from the active docket.
According to her, the court also assigned 141 matters to special panels dealing with Sharia cases, matters involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), revenue cases and proceedings arising from the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Mrs Kekere-Ekun said the Supreme Court had begun implementing the Nigerian Case Management System and mandatory electronic filing in July to improve case management, protect judicial records and reduce administrative delays.
The reforms were being introduced in phases, beginning with pending appeals listed for hearing between September and December 2026.
She also called for the timely release of funds appropriated for the judiciary, warning that delayed disbursements could disrupt projects, procurement and the provision of essential services.
She called for continued efforts to reduce case backlogs, expand alternative dispute resolution where appropriate and invest in the professional development and welfare of judicial officers and court staff.
The AGF, who is also the minister of justice, warned that the rank of SAN risked losing its value if it became more about financial gain than professional service.
“My office is concerned about the increasing number of cases of professional misconduct, especially against senior members of the Bar,” he said, urging the modernisation of the LPDC to make its processes “rapid and transparent”.
