Blue Silk: Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Ebele Nwokoye, has been conferred with the disputed Senior Counsel of Nigeria designation, popularly called the “Blue Silks.”
New Telegraph reported that Nwokoye, who led the NBA between 1985 and 1987, received the rank at an event in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Tuesday, September 15. He was also named National Patron of the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, BOSCON, which administers the designation.
The development brings renewed attention to an unresolved professional and legal dispute. The NBA has opposed the SCN initiative and previously warned practitioners against accepting the rank, while its promoters maintain that the designation is intended to recognise excellence among lawyers engaged substantially in non-contentious practice.
BOSCON says applicants are expected to show at least 35 verifiable non-litigation transactions and to have held an LL.B degree for at least 10 years. Promoters of the initiative are also relying on a January 2026 Federal High Court judgment in support of their position, while the broader controversy over the regulatory status of the rank has continued.
Nwokoye’s acceptance is particularly noteworthy because the disagreement now involves a former head of the very association that has challenged the new designation.
READ MORE: New Telegraph
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