The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba has warned the newly appointed notaries public against sharp practices and validation of fake documents.

The CJ also urged them to live up to the expectation of high integrity required of them as private participants in public service. Amongst those who were sworn in are the former Chief Magistrate and the 2023 Lagos state deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Moses Kassim and Lagos-based lawyer, Chijioke Emeka (SAN).

During the event held at the Chief Judge’s court in Ikeja, Justice Alogba swore in 31 lawyers as notary public. The notary public ceremony was attended by the Administrative Judge of Ikeja judicial division of the High Court of Lagos State, Justice Modupe Nicol-Clay, Justice Atinuke Odusanya, Justice Ismail Ijelu and Justice Jadesola Awope.

Others include the Chief Registrar, Mr Tajudeen Elias, the Deputy Chief Registrar, Mr R.O Davies and other admin Magistrates. Justice Alogba noted that unprofessionalism in documents’ validation, contributes to Nigeria’s poor image abroad, as most of the documents go beyond the shores of Nigeria.

In his vote of thanks on behalf of the new notaries, Mr Emeka (SAN) appreciated the trust reposed in them by the CJ and promised that they would work with integrity.

He also urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to reform the process of application for appointment of notary public for Nigeria.

Emeka disclosed that he had applied for an appointment as a notary public before he applied for the award of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He said: “While it took about four years of wallowing in the dark for the appointment as a notary public to come, it took his SAN application only a few months of openness and clarity with the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) to come.”

He, therefore, called on the CJN to issue comprehensive guidelines that will govern the application for appointment as notary public in Nigeria. According to him, the guidelines will also closely govern the practice, conduct and disciplinary procedure for erring notaries.