Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Lagos, Nigeria — In a significant move to expand legal service delivery and ease longstanding bottlenecks in document authentication, the Lagos State Judiciary has sworn in 130 new Notaries Public, a development expected to enhance access to notarisation and certified legal documentation across the state’s bustling commercial and legal sectors. The induction took place on Tuesday, December 17, 2025, under the auspices of the Notaries Public Act, 2023, which was enacted to modernise and widen the framework governing notarial services in Nigeria’s most populous state.
The oath-taking ceremony was presided over by Justice Kazeem O. Alogba, Chief Judge of Lagos State, and held at the High Court complex in Osborne, Ikoyi, drawing a large gathering of legal practitioners, judicial officers, dignitaries and observers. The expansion follows earlier rounds of appointments and reflects a strategic effort to respond to rising demand for authenticated affidavits, sworn declarations and notarised documents in a jurisdiction that handles substantial volumes of business, corporate, cross-border and personal legal matters.
Notaries Public play a critical role in the legal ecosystem by administering oaths, certifying signatures, witnessing agreements and authenticating documents for use within Nigeria and abroad. In Lagos, where economic activity and international exchanges are particularly intense, delays in obtaining notarisation services have long been a challenge for lawyers, businesses and ordinary citizens alike. Expanding the pool of qualified notaries is intended to reduce queuing times, eliminate procedural bottlenecks and provide more convenient points of service for people requiring verified legal paperwork.
Among those sworn in was Barrister Somadina Eugene Okorie, a Lagos-based legal practitioner with extensive experience in intellectual property and business law, whose induction symbolised both professional recognition and an opportunity to deepen public service commitment. Okorie described the appointment as timely and well-organized, noting that the expanded cohort should help reduce paperwork backlogs and improve client experience.
Legal analysts and practitioners welcomed the induction, observing that the increase in notaries is particularly important for a state like Lagos, where volume and variety of legal documentation are high and where notarised documents are essential for business transactions, real estate dealings, court processes and international legal compliance. The expanded cadre of notaries is also expected to help support broader judicial reforms, including digital services and efficiency improvements being pursued by the Lagos judiciary.
The induction aligns with the broader policy objectives of the Notaries Public Act, 2023, which aims to authentically regulate the profession, enhance transparency in notarisation and provide clear statutory backing for document authentication services. Legal service users, from individuals to corporations, stand to benefit from a wider distribution of authorised notaries, easing travel and procedural delays formerly associated with limited capacity.
In recent years, the Lagos judiciary has also pursued other innovations to improve access to justice and court services, including the implementation of e-affidavit systems and the ongoing digitisation of legal processes, demonstrating a broader commitment to efficiency and citizen-centred service delivery.
With the induction of these 130 new officers, the Lagos judiciary is positioned to meet growing legal demand more effectively, reinforcing the state’s role as a hub for legal and commercial activity in Nigeria and enhancing public confidence in accessible and reliable legal support services.
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