Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has rejected the Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN) designation purportedly conferred on him by the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), saying he neither authorised nor approved its acceptance.

The former Minister of Aviation described the circumstances surrounding the conferment as an administrative misjudgment, insisting that his participation in the process should not be interpreted as personal endorsement of the controversial designation.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, Fani-Kayode explained that members of his staff represented him at the society’s event after his office received an invitation.

“His Excellency wishes to categorically state that he did not personally authorise or approve the acceptance of the said designation and hereby formally disassociates himself from the purported conferment,” the statement read.

He clarified that subsequent communication conveying acceptance of the designation was made without his personal approval or intention to misrepresent his position.

“The circumstances surrounding the representation and subsequent communication of acceptance were regrettable and arose from an unfortunate administrative misjudgment, without any intention whatsoever to misrepresent His Excellency’s personal position or professional convictions,” the statement added.

Fani-Kayode also questioned the legal and professional implications of the designation, particularly its conformity with the statutory framework regulating the legal profession in Nigeria and relevant judicial pronouncements.

The former minister stressed that he remained committed to the rule of law and professional ethics, noting that he had practised as a lawyer for more than 41 years.

“As a legal practitioner of over 41 years standing, His Excellency would be the last person to knowingly engage in any act that violates the law, undermines the integrity of the legal profession, or brings the profession into disrepute,” the statement said.

He further highlighted his family’s legal background, explaining that he came from three generations of legal practitioners and remained committed to preserving the established traditions and integrity of the profession.

His rejection comes a day after the NLS conferred the Senior Counsel of Nigeria designation, popularly known as Blue Silk, on him, Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, and three other legal practitioners during its 2026 Annual General Conference in Abuja.

Other recipients were Olufunmilayo Osifuye, Ihudiebube Chukwumdi and Alabi Olalekan Adigun.

The conferment has sparked controversy over the legal status of the Blue Silk designation, with the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) maintaining that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) remains the only professional rank statutorily recognised under Nigerian law.

In February, the committee warned lawyers against adopting or parading the Blue Silk designation, arguing that it lacked statutory backing and could expose practitioners to disciplinary consequences.

The controversy was further heightened by a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja dismissing a suit seeking judicial recognition of the designation.

Justice James Omotosho held that the suit lacked merit, stressing that the statutory authority to confer the SAN rank rests with the LPPC.

However, the Nigerian Law Society and the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria have maintained that they possess the autonomy to confer the SCN designation on their members under their internal rules and regulations.

Fani-Kayode reiterated that neither his representation at the conference nor any communication made on his behalf should be regarded as his personal endorsement or acceptance of the designation.

KANO — The National Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Aisha Ibrahim, is set to return for a second term after emerging unopposed ahead of the association’s National Delegates Conference in Kano State.

Ibrahim was returned unopposed alongside the National Secretary, Wasilah Ladan, and several other national officers following the conclusion of the screening exercise conducted by the NAWOJ Electoral Committee.

However, the build-up to the election has been marked by the disqualification of two aspirants, including the Vice President of NAWOJ, Zone D, North Central, Chizoba Ogbeche, and the Vice President, Zone A, Rabi Mohammad.

According to the Electoral Committee, Ogbeche was disqualified for failing to meet the constitutional requirement relating to attendance at congresses at her chapel level.

The committee was said to have maintained its decision despite alleged pressure, blackmail, threats, harassment and intimidation directed at members of the committee and the National Chairperson of NAWOJ by her husband who is the current SA to Cross River State Governor

Following Chizoba Ogbeche’s disqualification, Fatima Rasheed of Kwara State, who was cleared after meeting the stipulated requirements for the position of Vice President, Zone D, has emerged unopposed.

Similarly, Rabi Mohammad was disqualified following her appointment as Director of Social Mobilisation at the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board.

Under the provisions of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Constitution, a member who accepts a political appointment is no longer eligible to vote or be voted for in the union or any of its affiliates.

With Mohammad’s disqualification, her opponent, Hannatu Mohammed, a former chairperson of Katsina chapter of NAWOJ has emerged unopposed.

Meanwhile, preparations are in top gear for the NAWOJ Triennial Delegates Conference, scheduled to hold in Kano State, where elections will be conducted for the remaining contested positions.

The conference is expected to bring together delegates from across the country as the association prepares to elect officers who will pilot its affairs for the next three years.

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has revealed that the death of a prominent Ijaw leader in a boat accident, alongside years of transportation difficulties in Southern Ijaw, inspired his administration’s decision to construct roads and bridges linking communities in the area.

Diri said the tragic incident involving his kinsman, late Chief F.K. Agara, who died from injuries sustained in a boat mishap at Oporoma, strengthened his resolve to address the long-standing challenge of poor road connectivity in the oil-rich local government area.

The governor spoke on Thursday at his country home in Sampou while hosting a delegation of Southern Ijaw women and his former students from the 1986 set of Government Secondary School, Amassoma.

The delegation included the Acting Paramount Ruler of Amassoma, Chief Godswill Akedesuo, and the Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development, Joanah Gigi, who were also among his former students.

Recalling the incident, Diri explained that Agara, a prominent Ijaw leader and politician, sustained fatal injuries after falling from a boat during a political campaign at Oporoma before the creation of Bayelsa State in 1996.

According to him, the boat’s propeller injured Agara, and despite being taken to Port Harcourt for medical attention, he eventually died.

Diri said the tragedy reinforced the need to establish reliable road connections between rural communities and the state capital, adding that he made it a priority after becoming governor.

He said, “One of my kinsmen died in a boat mishap at Oporoma when him and others were on a campaign. He fell off the boat and the propeller injured him. By the time he was taken back to Port Harcourt, he gave up. And I decided that I was going to break that jinx.”

The governor recalled that during his first-term campaign in 2019, residents of Southern Ijaw identified the construction of a road linking Oporoma, the local government headquarters, as one of their major demands.

He noted that the area had remained inaccessible by road for years, making transportation and access to essential services difficult for residents.

Diri said road infrastructure was crucial not only for connecting communities but also for stimulating economic activities, creating opportunities and accelerating development.

He acknowledged that the financial implications of constructing roads and bridges across the state, particularly in riverine communities, could have discouraged previous administrations.

However, he maintained that the high cost of the projects would not stop his government from pursuing its development agenda.

The governor expressed satisfaction with the completion of the bridges at Aguobiri and Angiama, as well as the extension of the road to Oporoma, describing the projects as significant milestones in opening up Southern Ijaw.

“On behalf of government, I thank you for your show of love and support for my administration. When the cost of constructing the bridges at Aguobiri and Angiama and the road to Oporoma was given, it was fearful and anybody could have chickened out.

“One of the features that brings about civilization is road infrastructure. Many communities like mine, Sampou, suffered the same fate because then they were not connected by road.

“I am as elated as you are that we completed the bridges and have taken the road to the Southern Ijaw local government headquarters. We can now drive to that place and to several other communities,” he said.

Diri further highlighted the improvement in transportation between communities following the projects, noting that travelling by boat from Oporoma to Olugbobiri now takes about 15 minutes, while the journey from Oporoma to Ekowe takes approximately five minutes.

He added that significant progress was also being made on the road project leading to Eniwari.

The governor said the recognition and support shown by the women would encourage his administration to pursue more infrastructure projects across the state.

Beyond infrastructure development, Diri also used the occasion to endorse Hon. Rodney Ambaiowei, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency.

He urged residents of Southern Ijaw to support President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates at all levels in the forthcoming elections, arguing that the President had supported Bayelsa State’s development efforts.

Diri maintained that improved road infrastructure would strengthen connectivity, expand economic opportunities and help communities that had remained isolated for decades become more accessible.