The Federal Government has withdrawn its previous statement regarding the legal aspect of the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership signed with the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
This decision was made in response to criticism from Nigerians who felt that the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the UK was biased.
Doris Uzoka-Anite, the Nigerian Minister for Trade and Investment, retracted her earlier statement on X and clarified that there is no legal agreement between Nigeria and the UK.
She said, “Earlier today, Nigeria signed a far-reaching MoU with the United Kingdom for an Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership.
“Regrettably, our earlier report erroneously suggest that Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding that allows lawyers licensed in the United Kingdom to practise in Nigeria.
“We wish to state emphatically that there is no such provision or agreement in the MpU.”
The minister emphasized that Nigeria does not have a Mutual Recognition Agreement with the UK. Furthermore, there is no commitment, either in the MOU or elsewhere, to permit UK-licensed lawyers to practice in Nigeria.
“As it currently stands, foreign licensed lawyers (including those licensed in the UK) cannot practise in Nigeria, as categorically stated in the MoU.
“We recognise that cross jurisdictional practice between Nigeria and the United Kingdom is still an ongoing conversation amongst relevant stakeholders within the legal practitioners community in Nigeria, and this was reflected in the MoU,” she added.
On Tuesday, the UK’s Department of Business and Trade and Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment announced that Nigeria would be signing a deal to eliminate obstacles that currently prevent UK lawyers from practicing international law in Nigeria.
However, the Nigerian Bar Association strongly criticized this agreement, calling the minister’s statement “ridiculous, unpatriotic, and uninformed.”
