Gov Peter Mbah salutes his Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Kingsley T. Udeh, on elevation to the Inner Bar.

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, has congratulated Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley T. Udeh, on his elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He described the honour as a “well-earned recognition of brilliance, devotion to justice, and commitment to institutional reform.”

Dr. Udeh joined 58 distinguished lawyers sworn in last Monday at the Supreme Court Complex in Abuja as Senior Advocates. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, presided at the ceremony. It marked the official admission of the new SANs into the Inner Bar, the pinnacle of legal practice in Nigeria.

Transformational Leadership

Governor Mbah’s congratulatory message highlighted Udeh’s transformational leadership of the Enugu State Ministry of Justice. He noted that reforms of the Justice system are already reshaping the justice delivery system in the state.

“In office, you have driven the transformation we promised — digitization of court records across our justice institutions, automation of court processes, from filings and cause lists to case-tracking dashboards, so matters move faster and justice reaches people when it should,” the governor said.

He further praised Udeh’s “meticulous work ethic, intellectual rigour, and integrity,” describing him as a role model for the next generation of lawyers and a shining example of public service excellence.

Who is a SAN?

The title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), introduced in 1975, is Nigeria’s equivalent of UK’ Queen’s Counsel. The title is reserved for legal practitioners of exceptional ability and accomplishment. Lawyers admitted to the Inner Bar enjoy privileges of precedence in court and wider influence in shaping the legal landscape.

For Enugu State, Udeh’s elevation is both a personal and collective triumph. “Enugu is proud of you. I am proud of you. Keep pressing forward in service to our state and nation with distinction,” Governor Mbah said.

Inspiration for young lawyers

Beyond the celebration, the honour carries an inspirational message for Enugu’s rising generation of legal professionals. Udeh’s journey from academia and reform-minded practice to the Inner Bar demonstrates excellence, innovation, and integrity as paths to recognition. For Enugu young lawyers, his story affirms that with diligence and a vision for justice, the state can continue producing national trailblazers in the legal profession.

Profile: Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN

Enugu A-G Udeh elevated

Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, is the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Enugu State. A distinguished scholar and legal practitioner, Dr Udeh, a law graduate of the University of Nigeria, earned a Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Udeh’s doctoral research was on the Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Bidder Remedies in South Africa and Nigeria.

His Master’s degree in law, from the University of Nottingham in the UK, centred on public procurement in the EU and International Trade Law, Public Procurement Law, International Trade Finance, World Trading System, International Investment Law, and International Disputes Settlement. His dissertation was awarded a distinction.

Before, his appointment, he was a consultant with over a dozen years’ experience in providing public procurement and public finance management regulation services to national and international organisations, including UNICEF and other UN agencies. He served the DFID as Lead Procurement Consultant before his appointment in 2017 as Senior Special Assistant on Development Aid Coordination and Mobilization to the Enugu State Government.

Udeh is a widely recognized legal scholar and a former lecturer at both Baze University in Abuja and the Nigerian Law School. He is an active member of the African Procurement Law Unit of Stellenbosch University since its creation in 2012. He also serves in the editorial committee of the African Public Procurement Law Journal and has several publications in international scholarly journals and in relevant academic books.

His elevation to the Inner Bar in September 2025 marks a new milestone in a career dedicated to excellence, integrity, and innovation.

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