The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is making moves to implement a new policy that threatens the livelihood of countless legal practitioners across Nigeria. This policy requires Nigerian lawyers to accumulate a certain number of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points each year, making it a condition to maintain their practicing licenses. While professional development is important, making licenses contingent on CPD points is unfair and unrealistic for many.

Economic conditions in Nigeria make it challenging for many lawyers, particularly those in less urbanized areas, to meet such rigid requirements. The policy not only endangers the welfare of these lawyers but also threatens the legal system by potentially reducing the number of practicing professionals who serve their communities.

Furthermore, the Nigerian Bar Association is a private organization and does not possess the statutory power to enforce such measures, as the licensing and regulation of lawyers is a mandate held by the government through the Legal Practitioners' Act, 2004.

We urge the stakeholders, including the NBA and the Nigerian government, to reconsider this policy. Alternative pathways for professional development that support, rather than hinder, legal practitioners should be explored—pathways that reflect the financial realities faced by many and respect the legal processes granted by the state.

Sign this petition to demand that the NBA revoke its policy that ties CPD points to licensing, and instead work collaboratively with Nigerian lawyers to develop fair and equitable solutions that support the practice of law in Nigeria without stripping lawyers of their right to practice.