CELEBRATING THE FIRST FEMALE SAN FROM THE NORTH -WEST
CELEBRATING THE FIRST FEMALE SAN FROM THE NORTH -WEST
By:
Nurudeen Dauda
September 24, 2019
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Permit me to congratulate Safiya Umar Badamasi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, the first SAN from Katsina State and also the first female SAN from the North West Geo-political zone. She is the present Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary , Ministry of Justice, Katsina State.
My followers would recall that on the 17th of September, 2017, I wrote an article on the then Sokoto State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Suleiman Usman who happened to be the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN from Sokoto state. I argued that It was worth celebrating a man who has done proud to Sokoto State in the Bar since its creation. Being SAN as a member of the bar is a great honour that one desires.
Today am celebrating Safiya Umar Badamasi, SAN, In my view, this is a great achievement not only to the celebrant and her immediate family members, but also to her state and the entire North- West Geo-political zone in general. Accept my congratulations to you ma for this your enviable achievement.
In my observation, the North fared well in the "Bench" than in the "Bar". We have had enough Chief Justices of the Federation, Presidents of Court of Appeal and Federal High Court presidents. On the other hand, In my observation, misinterpretation of what the law "profession" or a "lawyer" is by some "quack scholars" in the North has not helped matters. We really need to wake up. We indeed really need to catch up in the Bar.
However, being SAN has a lot of privileges among which are: SANs enjoy certain privileges like sitting in the front row in court and to have their cases called first. Besides, it has been claimed that the rank attracts the confidence of both political and corporate clientele with more lucrative briefs. The title of SAN in Nigeria was first given in April 3, 1975. In the United Kingdom, it is called QC- Queen’s Counsel.
To become SAN according to section 17 of the Legal Practitioners Act 207 are various criteria for the candidates to be assessed on. Accordingly, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria has the mandate to implement the provisions of the Legal Practitioners’ Act. Being SAN is such an enviable feat that requires a lot of hard-work as follows:
First, you must have a minimum of 10 years at the Bar before you would be eligible for the rank. You are also expected to pay your practicing fees for 10 consecutive years as and when due. You must have paid local dues both monthly and annually for 10 years as and when due, you must have paid income tax as and when due. You must have done at least four pro-bono cases, cases done without asking for fees as a way of ensuring individual corporate responsibility.
An applicant must have conducted a minimum of 20 contested cases from the beginning of the case to the end with records within the 10-year bracket in high courts and courts of equivalent jurisdiction- the Federal High Court, Election Petition Tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The applicant should also have a well-established chamber that is modern and has all the necessary facilities with good location, lawyers and supporting staff, among others.
Furthermore, Section 16 (2) of the Act stipulates how applicants are scored before emerging as SANs on various things, namely : Integrity- 20 percent ; opinion of judges and the strength of references received by candidates- 20 percent; general knowledge of law-25 percent; contribution to the development of law-10 percent; leadership qualities in the profession-10 percent; and qualities of law office/library-15 percent.
Permit me to once again congratulate you ma. I herewith also congratulate the 37 others who have also be conferred the prestigious title of SAN.
May God bless Nigeria!