The Nigerian House of Representatives has urged the federal government to stop the signing and implementation of a trade partnership with the United Kingdom, which allows lawyers trained in the country to practise within Nigeria.
The lower chamber of the National Assembly said this on Tuesday following a motion moved by 49 lawmakers.
It also mandated its Committee on Treaties, Protocols, and Agreements to investigate the matter and report back within four weeks.
Pointing to recent reports and public outcry over an alleged economic and trade partnership between the UK and Nigeria, aimed at exploring new opportunities in key sectors such as the energy, legal, and financial services sectors, the lawmakers noted that the trade deal appears to be lopsided.
The House insisted that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment must immediately halt the signing and implementation of a trade partnership with the UK, adding that it was tilted mainly in favour of the UK, to the detriment of qualified Nigerian lawyers.
According to the House, the partnership only sought to allow UK lawyers to enter the Nigerian legal space and practise, but not vice versa.
The lawmakers argued that unless immediate pragmatic steps are taken to investigate and address the concerns raised, the country may unwittingly be entering into a deal whose terms and conditions may, in the long run, be unfavourable to the country and the overall interest of Nigerians.
This was asserted by the Federal Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite in a statement she released via her verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.
She said, “Regrettably, our earlier report erroneously suggests that Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows lawyers licensed in the United Kingdom to practise in Nigeria.
“We wish to state emphatically that there is no such provision or agreement in the MOU. Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the United Kingdom and made no commitment, under the MOU or elsewhere, to allow UK- licensed lawyers practise in Nigeria.
“As it currently stands, foreign licensed lawyers (including those licensed in the U.K.) cannot practice in Nigeria, as categorically stated in the MOU. We recognise that cross jurisdictional practice between Nigeria and the United Kingdom is still an on-going conversation amongst relevant stakeholders within the legal practitioners community in Nigeria, and this was reflected in the MOU.”
SaharaReporters had reported how the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) viewed the purported policy as an attempt to deprive Nigerian lawyers and their millions of dependants of their means of livelihood.
The NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau said he would convey a meeting of senior lawyers in the country to deliberate on how to stop the government from making the policy a reality.
The NBA President had said, “We know for certain that the British Government will not undermine its own body of legal professionals in such spectacular fashion as this administration has done to the NBA in the matter of this agreement.
“It is truly tragic that while the government of the UK is seeking opportunities for its own lawyers beyond its constrained environment, the government of Nigeria is attempting to deprive Nigerian lawyers and their millions of dependants of means of livelihood. To embark on such a venture without recourse to the NBA is the height of insensitivity to the plight of the legal profession in Nigeria, and this is totally unacceptable.
“We want to make it very clear that the ETIP agreement, in so far as it relates to legal services is unacceptable in its entirety. The NBA will take all necessary measures provided by our laws in support of our position on this matter. As a starting point, I have today convened a meeting of senior lawyers with a view to devising an appropriate litigation strategy. We intend to fully challenge the legality of this agreement all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.”
