Nigeria High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Femi Fani Kayode, has rejected the purported conferment of the Senior Counsel of Nigeria rank, also known as Blue Silk, on him by the Nigerian Law Society.

The former Minister of Aviation said he neither authorised nor approved the acceptance of the designation.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, Fani Kayode explained that members of his staff represented him at the event after his office received an invitation from the society. He said the subsequent communication conveying acceptance of the designation was made without his personal approval or intention to misrepresent his position.

His Excellency wishes to categorically state that he did not personally authorise or approve the acceptance of the said designation and hereby formally disassociates himself from the purported conferment, the statement read. Fani Kayode described the circumstances surrounding the representation and subsequent communication of acceptance as regrettable and arising from an unfortunate administrative misjudgment.

He also raised concerns about the legal and professional implications of the designation, particularly its conformity with the statutory framework regulating the legal profession and relevant judicial pronouncements. He maintained that neither his representation at the event nor any communication made on his behalf should be interpreted as his personal endorsement or acceptance of the designation.

His rejection comes a day after the Nigerian Law Society conferred the Senior Counsel of Nigeria designation on him, Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, and three other legal practitioners at its 2026 Annual General Conference in Abuja. The other recipients were Olufunmilayo Osifuye, Ihudiebube Chukwumdi and Alabi Olalekan Adigun.

The conferment has generated controversy over the legal status of the Blue Silk designation, with the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee maintaining that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria remains the only professional rank statutorily recognised under Nigerian law. The Nigerian Law Society and the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria argue that they have the autonomy to confer the rank, saying it recognises law graduates who have distinguished themselves in non litigation areas such as corporate administration, arbitration, mediation, governance and legislative drafting.

The controversy also followed a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja dismissing a suit seeking judicial recognition of the Blue Silk rank. Justice James Omotosho held that the suit lacked merit, stressing that the statutory authority to confer the Senior Advocate of Nigeria rank rests with the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee.