The Federal Government has withdrawn its initial statement regarding the legal dimension of the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership signed with the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
This decision follows criticism from Nigerians who raised concerns about the perceived one-sided nature of the Memorandum of Understanding with the UK.
Nigerian Minister for Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, clarified in a thread on X that there is no legal agreement between Nigeria and the UK, retracting the earlier suggestion.
She emphasized that there is no provision in the MoU allowing UK-licensed lawyers to practice in Nigeria and highlighted that Nigeria has no Mutual Recognition Agreement with the UK.
She said, “Earlier today, Nigeria signed a far-reaching MoU with the United Kingdom for 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.”
On Tuesday, a statement by the UK’s Department of Business and Trade, and a tweet from Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment, had disclosed that Nigeria was signing a deal to remove barriers preventing UK lawyers from practising international law in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Bar Association described the deal as “ridiculous, unpatriotic, and uninformed.”
