Kunle Edun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has criticised the existing criteria for appointing High Court judges in Nigeria, describing them as inadequate and prone to manipulation. In particular, he expressed dismay over the current requirement that judicial applicants submit only six judgments as part of their qualification.
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“This is where the problem starts,” Edun stated in a press release made available to TheNigeriaLawyer. “How can the production of merely six judgments qualify a lawyer to be appointed as a judge of a High Court in Nigeria?”
He warned that the current benchmark could be easily abused. “What if the cases were substantially handled by someone else, and the applicant’s only input was signing the final written address or adopting a brief?” he asked.
Calling for reform, Edun proposed that applicants should be required to submit complete records of proceedings — including all filed processes — in at least 20 fully concluded trial cases covering diverse legal areas. He also recommended that applicants’ scores from the screening process be made public to promote credibility and transparency.
“The six-judgment standard is simply too low,” he said. “Some lawyers with only four years post-call experience could meet it. We must aim higher.”
Edun’s comments coincide with the NBA’s announcement inviting eligible legal practitioners to apply for Federal High Court judgeships, following a request from the Honourable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court on May 26, 2025. The opportunity targets candidates from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Plateau, and Taraba states, with applications due by June 19, 2025.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive dossier, including their Curriculum Vitae, Call to Bar Certificate, evidence of Bar Practising Fees and Branch Dues payments for the past 10 years, NBA Annual General Conference attendance records, proof of membership in NBA Sections or Fora, six certified true copies of judgments from contested cases handled within the last five years, and a letter of good standing from their Branch Chairman, per National Judicial Council (NJC) guidelines. Submissions are required both physically at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja and electronically via a designated online form.
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