Celebrating excellence beyond the courtroom, the Association of Legislative Drafters and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has conferred the prestigious “Blue Silk” rank on a distinguished group of Nigerian legal professionals, recognising their outstanding contributions to legislative drafting, policy development, and legal scholarship.

The investiture ceremony, which drew eminent personalities from the legal community, government, and academia, marks a significant evolution in the recognition of non-litigation legal practice in Nigeria. The honourees, having undergone rigorous due diligence and screening processes, were found to meet the stringent criteria for the award.

Those conferred with the Blue Silk rank include Paul Usenbo, Sam Aiboni, Titilayo Elizabeth Orebiyi, Muhammed Baffa, Lawal Oluwafemi, Adebayo Akinade, Dr Onadeko Damilola Edwards, Dr Obraori Peters Adeila, Olorungemi Bamidele, Senibo Elisha Jaja, Yahaya Danzaria, Mrs Chinelo Emeghara, and Kennedy Thompson, a Canada-based Nigerian lawyer.

Held under the theme, ‘ALDRAP’s Blue Silks as an Innovation in Celebrating Legal Excellence of Non-Litigation Nigerian Lawyers: Senior Legislative Counsel (SELCON), Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN), and Senior Legal Academic (SLA)’, the event underscored the growing importance of legislative and advisory roles in shaping governance and public policy in the country.

Delivering the welcome address, SCN President of the Nigeria Law Society (NLS), Ambassador Dahiru Aliyu, commended ALDRAP for pioneering a platform that acknowledges the invaluable contributions of non-litigation lawyers. He emphasised the need for the legal profession to continue evolving in its recognition of diverse areas of specialisation critical to national development.

The ceremony was anchored by the Vice President of the Nigerian Law Society, Olaitan Abiodun, while the keynote address was delivered by the President of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel (CALC), Dr Johnson Okello.

In his address, Okello highlighted global best practices in legislative drafting and called for institutional reforms to strengthen parliamentary processes across Commonwealth nations.