Law students of National Open University
of Nigeria (NOUN) were elated, recently, when the Vice-Chancellor,
Prof. Abdalla Adamu, reassured them of the school’s management
relentless effort to ensure that they complete their legal education by
attending Nigerian Law School.
Adamu gave the re-assurance during Lagos
Law students congress held at the former headquarters of NOUN in
Victoria Island, Lagos. He advised the students to take their studies
seriously as efforts are ongoing to have them attend the law school. The
vice chancellor said that the matter was receiving adequate attention
at the National Assembly and, sooner than later, all the stakeholders
would reach a workable arrangement.
Earlier, he had promised to engage in
aggressive advocacy. While reiterating his commitment to take education
to the doorstep of every Nigerian, he assured the sustenance of the core
values of accessibility, affordability and flexible learning which NOUN
is reputed for.
It would be recalled that former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, had during a visit by LAWSA national
body urged the students particularly the law graduates of NOUN to be
patient with the authorities. He said that he had no doubt that all
would be well. The former president described NOUN as a novel
institution. Adducing the reason it may appear the entire approval
process was dragging, he noted that from experience that anything one is
doing, that seems to drag will come out successful at the end of the
day.
President Obasanjo said the institution
since its take-off in 2005 while he was still the president has been a
viable alternative to conventional institutions, especially for adults
desirous of university education. He said that nobody in Nigeria will
say he/she does not have access to higher education with NOUN, except
he/she does not want. He said that although he noticed some students
complaining about law accreditation in NOUN, he believes that the Law
programme has come to stay.
The issue of admitting into Nigerian Law
School, Law students from NOUN has been a contentious one for sometime
now. This followed the Council of Legal Education (CLE)’s statement that
anyone who desires to join the legal profession must undertake an
undergraduate study on full-time basis, in a recognized Faculty of Law
unlike NOUN that operates Open and Distance Learning.
It emphasized that the study of law
transcends knowledge acquisition alone, as it involves the molding of
future entrants to the Bar in learning, character and attitudes. But the
argument of the authorities of NOUN is that the university operates
Open and Distance learning which is very different from part-time or
correspondence, both in the manner the course materials are prepared and
the mode of learning.
Besides, the former Executive Secretary
of National Universities Commission, (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, during
his handover ceremony confirmed that the Law programme run by NOUN was
approved by the NUC, which has the statutory right to do so.
“When the CLE came up with the idea of
no part-time law, NOUN did not consider law a part-time programme by
their mode. So, they did not stop the programme,” Prof. Adamu said.
In Nigeria, the legal education of an
aspiring lawyer is not complete without his attending the Law School and
the Council of Legal Education runs the Nigeria Law School. All persons
who have obtained a university degree in law and who want to practise
as lawyers in Nigeria must attend the Nigeria Law School. The admission
is open to persons who studied in approved Nigeria Law faculties as well
as persons who have passed the final bar examinations of the English,
Scottish or Irish Bar or Solicitors Final Examinations of England,
Scotland or Ireland.
As for foreign universities, most of
them in the common law countries are accredited by the Council of Legal
Education and their graduates are admitted to the Nigerian Law School.
However, the admission to the Law School is for two years, unlike their
Nigerian counterparts that would be there for one year. The foreign
students usually undergo the Bar Part 1 course before proceeding to the
next level which is Bar Part 11.
The occasion was used to unite the NOUN
Law students association in Lagos under one umbrella. Before now, each
study centre had its own association. Explaining the reason for taking
the step, the National Students Adviser, Dr. Nelson Chegwe (an associate
professor), said that LAWSA was not an ordinary students association,
because their activities such as moot courting, law dinner form part of
the academic requirements of a law student. He announced the appointment
of Oliver Nwaiwu as President, Chris Uzor as Vice president, Asoro
Abubakar as General Secretary and John Onuku as Treasurer. Together,
they form the Lagos State LAWSA executive.
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