The directive was given by the NBA President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN), in a letter dated September 7, 2015, addressed to the 21 lawyers selected for the conferment of the award this year.
Alegeh said the decision to ban congratulatory advertorials for new SANs was a resolution of the NBA National Executive Committee.
A copy of the said letter,read in part,
“I wish to seize this opportunity to draw your attention to the provisions of Rule 39 (2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2007, and a Resolution of the Nigerian Bar Association National Executive Committee in respect of the placement of congratulatory messages on behalf of lawyers on pages of national dailies and/or jingles on the electronic media and considers such practice as a serious professional infraction.“I appreciate the fact that friends and family, who may be unaware of the RPC provisions, may wish to congratulate you on your recent elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria with paid advertorials and congratulatory messages on pages of newspapers or any other media platform. Kindly endeavour to draw their attention to these provisions and discourage them from putting up paid advertorials on your behalf.
A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, who also confirmed the authenticity of the directive, said the decision was to return the NBA to the strict path of professionalism.
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