Body of Benchers: Competent or Not?

This matter is in respect of my Call to Bar Certificate.

I was called to the Nigerian Bar in November, 2014 along with other successful aspirants to the Nigerian bar after years of hard work right from primary school to the Nigerian Law School; the hard work to become a legal practitioner with numberless dreams was crowned with a celebrated call to the Nigerian Bar but without a Call to bar certificate.

I passed the Bar final exams and I was given the verifying certificate; likewise, I met all the necessary requirements stipulated by both Body of Benchers and Nigerian Law School. While most people were given their call to bar certificates, some of us were not given. When we asked why we were not given, they gave series of excuses like “omitted certificates”, “errors in name” etc. like in my own case, I was told it was omitted certificate.

After months of waiting, like others that are affected, I forwarded a formal complaint not only to the Students Affairs of the Nigerian Law school, but also to the office of the Body of Benchers, Senior Members of the Body of Benchers, Office of the DG, Nigerian Law School, Office of the SDA, and some prominent Lawyers even to some officers of the NBA, for intervention; but up till now, (almost a year after call) I have not been given my Call to Bar certificate. I have spent a lot traveling to the office of the Body of Benchers and Nigerian Law School, Abuja following up my complaint (since the officers of this mentioned bodies refused to give me their contact numbers). This is wickedness on the part of Body of benchers. In the era of Technology, how many days will it take them to produce our certificates.

Without the call to bar certificate, enrolment is impossible, and without enrolment at the Supreme Court it is impossible to appear as a legal practitioner in law courts in Nigeria.
Other colleagues of mine that were called to the Nigerian bar same year and were given call to bar certificates have since been practicing.

Why is the Body of benchers withholding our certificates? After years of hardwork, the least Body of Benchers could do is to issue our deserving certificates to us.

I call on respectable body to intervene in this matter. As a matter of fact, I honestly seek the attention of Mr. President, President Buhari to look into the effectiveness of the Body of Benchers as part of the change people seek.

This wickedness must stop.

thanks.

affected member