By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, will, on December 14, 2020, administer oath on the 72 lawyers recently elevated to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Spokesman of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Dr. Festus Akande, announced this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The statement reads: “It will be recalled that the 2019/2020 Legal Year officially ended on Friday, September 11, 2020.

“Even though normal court sittings started almost immediately after the formal end of the last Legal Year, no official ceremony has been held in accordance with the age-long tradition of the Supreme Court to formally herald the commencement of the new Legal Year 2020/2021 due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic that has so far defied all known medical interventions across the globe.

“However, in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, spouses and friends of the 72 newly appointed Senior Advocates will not be allowed into the courtroom as was done in the past.

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“Similarly, the number of dignitaries and other stakeholders will be limited as crowd will not be allowed inside the courtroom.

“The court’s foyer will be handy to accommodate those who will not be admitted into the courtroom, as the programme will be streamed live on the giants TV screens that are placed in strategic positions within the court premises.

“For those that will be in their respective homes and offices, they can as well watch the various programmes live on YouTube, Twitters, Instagram, Facebook, Zoom and other social media platforms, as we are ever poised to make everyone have a feel of every single event.

“The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria will, as usual, give the State of the Judiciary Address and present the scorecard of the Supreme Court in the outgone Legal Year while keeping the nation abreast of the developments in the Nigerian Judiciary.”