Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa Femi Fani-Kayode rejects the Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN) rank, popularly called “Blue Silk,” which the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) says it conferred on him.
Multiple outlets report that the NLS announced the SCN conferment on Fani-Kayode, Seyi Tinubu, and three other legal practitioners at its 2026 Annual General Conference. While Vanguard and The Punch focus on the fact of the conferment, Nigerian Eye also includes what Fani-Kayode reportedly said at the event, including references to non-discriminatory access to justice and human rights.
After the announcement, Fani-Kayode (via a statement carried by Nigerian Eye) disassociates himself from the purported conferment. He says he neither authorised nor approved accepting the honour, that staff attended only on his behalf after an invitation, and that any communication suggesting acceptance was not made with his direct approval. Nigerian Eye also says he questions the legal validity of the title and portrays the situation as an administrative error, with broader debate continuing over the rank’s status.
