Maroof Asudemade
The reported directive by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, prohibiting the use of “Barrister” as a prefix to lawyers’ names in court documents and official correspondence deserves commendation. If faithfully implemented, it will not only promote professional correctness but also challenge Nigeria’s unhealthy obsession with titles.

The legal profession is one of the oldest and most respected professions in the world. Yet, nowhere in the formal process of admission to the Nigerian Bar is a lawyer conferred with “Barrister” as an honorific title. Rather, every successful candidate is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. “Barrister” describes a professional qualification; it is not a title in the same category as “Doctor” or “Professor.”

Indeed, the international practice is instructive. In the United Kingdom, from where Nigeria inherited much of its legal tradition, lawyers do not ordinarily prefix their names with “Barrister.” Their names appear simply as John Smith, or John Smith, Barrister-at-Law. The same applies in Australia, Canada and many other Commonwealth jurisdictions. The Nigerian habit of introducing oneself as “Barrister John Doe” is more a product of local convention than of legal tradition.

The Chief Justice’s position therefore restores professionalism and aligns Nigeria’s legal practice with international standards.

More importantly, this directive should provoke a broader national conversation about our fascination with titles. Nigerians seem to have developed an insatiable appetite for prefixes. Every profession now seeks to convert its professional identity into an honorific.

Today we encounter Engineer, Architect, Surveyor, Pharmacist, Nurse, Builder and numerous other professional designations preceding names, even where such prefixes are neither legally conferred nor internationally recognised as titles. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of one’s profession, there is a significant difference between describing one’s occupation and adopting it as a permanent title.

A profession is not necessarily a title. A pharmacist remains a pharmacist whether the word appears before or after the person’s name. The same applies to engineers, architects, accountants and many other professionals. Professional qualifications are more appropriately indicated after a person’s name through recognised post-nominal letters or by describing the person’s profession in context.

Nigeria’s obsession with titles reflects a deeper societal problem. We often measure status by what precedes a person’s name rather than by competence, integrity and service. We attach excessive importance to honorifics while paying insufficient attention to excellence.

This culture has also contributed to title inflation. Every achievement, office or professional membership seems to generate another prefix. The result is that official documents, event programmes and even newspaper reports become cluttered with strings of titles that add little value to communication.

The most accomplished individuals in the world are often the simplest in presenting themselves. Distinguished judges, renowned scientists, celebrated authors and global business leaders frequently rely on their work, not elaborate titles, to command respect. Respect is earned through character, knowledge and service, not through prefixes.

The Chief Justice’s reported directive should therefore be welcomed not merely as an administrative instruction to court officials but as an opportunity for national reflection. It reminds us that professionalism requires precision and that institutions should preserve standards rather than encourage customs that have no firm legal or historical foundation.

Perhaps the time has come for professional bodies across Nigeria to undertake similar reviews. Where a designation is not an officially recognised honorific, it should remain what it truly is: a description of one’s profession, not a title attached to one’s name.

Nigeria would lose nothing by becoming less obsessed with titles. On the contrary, we would gain a culture that values substance over appearance, merit over ceremony, and excellence over empty adornment.

The Chief Justice deserves credit for taking a step in that direction.