Wike, Ezeilo, Anyim, Mustapha, Enabulele, Nureni Shortlisted for Senior Counsel of Nigeria Blue Silks Rank
The shortlist for the next batch of the Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN), popularly referred to as the Blue Silks, has been released, featuring prominent figures from law, public service, academia, and government.
Among the nominees are: Hon. Nyesom E. Wike, CON, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Life Bencher; Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, former Deputy Governor of Enugu State; Prof. Amos Enabulele of the Faculty of Law, University of Benin; and Mr. Ibrahim Oyedeji Nureni, a former Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Police Affairs.
The list also includes His Excellency Pius Anyim, former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; His Excellency Boss Mustapha, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and Her Excellency Valerie Ebe, former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State. These names, alongside the other candidates, reflect the broad range of professional backgrounds from which candidates for the Blue Silks-SCN distinction are being drawn.
The Blue Silks-SCN distinction is designed for non-litigation Nigerian lawyers who meet the applicable requirements, including having held an LL.B degree for a minimum of 10 years and being able to demonstrate experience in at least 35 non-litigation transactions or publications, according to the information supplied for the review.
The process is expected to consider candidates whose careers have involved legal practice outside traditional courtroom litigation, including public administration, legislative work, academia, government legal services, policy and other areas of professional legal engagement. The candidates’ records and professional contributions are expected to form part of the considerations in the review process.
Among the nominees is Hon. Nyesom E. Wike, CON, the serving Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a Life Bencher. A nomination letter from the Nigerian Law Society dated 2 September 2026 informed Wike of his nomination for the conferment of the rank of Fellow of the Nigerian Law Society and proposed his subsequent representation of the NLS on the Governing Council of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, headquartered in London. The letter described the nomination as recognition of his stature as a non-litigation Nigerian lawyer.
The same document states that the Nigerian Law Society received its certificate of registration from the Corporate Affairs Commission on 30 December 2025 and describes the Society as an organisation representing non-litigation Nigerian lawyers and legal professionals. It identifies categories such as law lecturers, legislative drafting lawyers and arbitration and mediation practitioners among those engaged in non-litigation practice.
Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, identified in the nomination document as a former Deputy Governor of Enugu State, has also been included in the list. A letter dated 15 September 2026 conveyed an offer of appointment to her as President of the Council of the Nigerian Law Society, together with conferment of the Fellowship of the Society. The NLS said the offer followed consideration of her professional career, contributions to the legal profession and record as a non-litigation Nigerian lawyer.
Also on the list is Mr. Ibrahim Oyedeji Nureni, a former Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Police Affairs. Nureni’s career spans more than three decades of public-sector legal service. His curriculum vitae shows that he obtained his LL.B from the University of Lagos in 1990 and his BL from the Nigerian Law School in 1991, before commencing his legal career with the Federal Ministry of Justice in 1992.
Nureni subsequently served in several government institutions, including the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. His positions included Chief State Counsel and Director of Legal Services in a number of Federal Government institutions.
At the Ministry of Police Affairs, Nureni served as Director of Legal Services from 2019 to 2020. He later served as Director of Legal Services at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources from 2020 to 2023 and at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation from 2023 to 2024. He retired from the Civil Service in December 2024.
His CV also records his appointment as the representative of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on the Board of the National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, between September 2020 and June 2023. It further records that he received a Fellowship of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria in 2010 in recognition of resource management, leadership and performance in public administration.
The Nigerian Law Society’s nomination letter to Nureni, dated 9 September 2026, specifically informed him of his nomination for the Fellowship of the Nigerian Law Society in the distinguished category of Senior Legislative Counsel of Nigeria — Blue Silks, Rank of SCN. The letter said the nomination recognised his service to the Nigerian legislature and his contribution to the administration of justice, legislative oversight, public accountability and the advancement of the rule of law.
The letter stated that the conferment is scheduled to take place during the 2026 NLS Annual General Conference, themed “Law, Justice and National Renewal: The Presidential Agenda for Nigeria.” The conference is scheduled for 4 and 5 November 2026 at Top Rank Hotel, Utako, Abuja.
Other prominent names included in the broader list are His Excellency Pius Anyim, former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; His Excellency Boss Mustapha, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and Her Excellency Valerie Ebe, former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State. Their inclusion adds further representation from senior public office and national administration to the group of candidates being considered.
The candidates collectively bring backgrounds covering public administration, government legal services, legislative and policy work, academia, leadership and other areas of non-litigation legal practice. Their professional records span different periods of service and areas of contribution, providing the review process with a diverse group of candidates drawn from outside the traditional courtroom-focused practice.
James Corbett KC Among Review Panel Members
The review process also has an international legal dimension, with James Corbett KC, a King’s Counsel, identified as one of the members of the panel reviewing candidates shortlisted for the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria.
His participation is expected to form part of the panel’s consideration of the professional records and qualifications of the candidates before the conferment process is concluded.
The emerging list therefore brings together senior figures with experience in government, public administration, academia and legal services. The candidates’ backgrounds include service at the highest levels of government, university teaching and public-sector legal administration, as well as extensive experience in areas of law that do not primarily involve courtroom litigation.
The Blue Silks-SCN process consequently represents a distinct recognition framework for lawyers whose professional careers have been built largely outside conventional litigation. The shortlisted candidates will now be considered through the relevant review process ahead of the proposed conferment.
