The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Friday said it is collaborating with the Supreme Court of Nigeria, to resolve complaints from lawyers who have not been issued their Enrolment Numbers.
This is contained in a statement by the NBA national Publicity secretary, Dr Rapulu Nduk.
The Supreme Court Enrolment number is a unique number for every lawyer who has been successfully called to the Nigerian Bar, and duly enlisted in the roll of the Supreme Court.
“The enrolment number is similar to a gate pass as it is imprinted on the seal of legal practitioners, and also required to be produced by every lawyer for any documentation.
“Recently, there have been complaints from some lawyers newly called to the bar; that they were yet to be issued with their numbers.
“The NBA has recently been inundated with credible complaints from some legal practitioners especially those called to the Nigerian Bar in recent years that were yet to be issued their Supreme Court Enrolment Numbers.
“As you may be aware, the issuance of enrolment numbers to legal practitioners called to the Nigerian Bar is within the exclusive administrative competence of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“However, where numbers are not issued at the point of enrolment, the NBA typically interfaces with the supreme court authorities to ensure that the process of issuing the numbers is made seamless.
“In playing this role, the NBA has become fully seized of some systemic issues that have affected the issuance of these Supreme Court enrolment numbers to these affected members of the legal profession.
“The NBA, therefore, wishes to notify its members, especially those affected, that the leadership of the NBA is currently working with the Supreme Court to sort these lingering issues,” he said
The NBA also assures affected members that, with the suspension of the JUSUN industrial action, these issues would hopefully be resolved very soon.
