Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has rejected the Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN) designation, popularly known as Blue Silk, conferred on him by the Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
Gatekeepers News reports that the former Minister of Aviation said he neither authorised nor approved the acceptance of the title, describing the development as an administrative misjudgement by members of his staff.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, Fani-Kayode explained that his staff represented him at the society’s event after his office received an invitation.
The statement said, “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.”
It added that the acceptance communicated on his behalf resulted from an administrative error and was not intended to misrepresent his personal position or professional convictions.
Fani-Kayode also questioned the legal and professional basis of the designation, particularly its conformity with the statutory framework governing the legal profession in Nigeria and relevant court judgments.
The statement further quoted him as saying, “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.”
He also reaffirmed his commitment to professional ethics, noting that he came from a family with three generations of legal practitioners.
His rejection came a day after the Nigerian Law Society announced him, Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, and three other lawyers as recipients of the SCN designation at its 2026 annual general conference in Abuja.
The other recipients were Olufunmilayo Osifuye, Ihudiebube Chukwumdi and Alabi Olalekan Adigun.
The conferment has generated controversy over the legal recognition of the Blue Silk designation.
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) maintains that Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) remains the only professional rank statutorily recognised under Nigerian law.
In February, the committee warned lawyers against adopting the Blue Silk designation, arguing that it lacked statutory backing and could attract disciplinary consequences.
However, Nigerian Law Society and the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria maintain that they have the autonomy to confer the SCN designation under their internal rules and regulations.
