The Advocacy for Bar Licence Freedom (ABLIF) has outlined significant milestones achieved in its ongoing campaign to protect the practicing rights of Nigerian lawyers, particularly in relation to the controversial Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) policies of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
In a statement jointly signed by its National Convener, Amb. Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, Esq., and National Secretary, Christabel Zoe Ayuk, Esq., and released on August 2, 2025, ABLIF listed a series of reforms and concessions secured through “focused, principled, and persistent advocacy” across the legal profession.
Top among the achievements is the protection of the right to practice, with ABLIF successfully drawing national attention to what it described as the illegality of linking Bar practicing licences to CLE/MCPD compliance. The group insists that no lawyer’s right to practice in Nigeria should be restricted based on failure to acquire CPD points.
Other notable accomplishments include:
Reduction of CLE course fees following sustained pressure on the NBA.
Onboarding of free CLE trainings, easing the burden on financially constrained lawyers.
Expansion of virtual CLE capacity, with the NBA switching from Zoom to Zoho and increasing participant capacity from 1,000 to 5,000.
Decentralization of CLE trainings, enabling NBA branches to serve as accredited CLE providers at reduced subscription costs.
Establishment of exemption pathways, allowing lawyers to apply for CPD waivers under valid circumstances.
Sustained engagement with the NBA leadership, which ABLIF said has led to meaningful dialogue and policy adjustments.
Mobilization of lawyers nationwide, creating what it calls a “collective consciousness” around rights-based legal reforms.
While acknowledging these milestones, ABLIF emphasized that its advocacy is far from over.
“ABLIF remains firmly assertive that no lawyer’s right to practice law in Nigeria should be denied or restricted on the basis of non-acquisition of CPD points,” the group stated. “We shall continue to engage the NBA until no lawyer’s licence is threatened under this obnoxious policy.”
The group reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful engagement, lawyer-friendly reforms, and safeguarding the dignity of legal practice in Nigeria.
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