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Reps condemn rising cost of law school fees

By Otei Oham, Abuja
03 March 2017   |   3:51 am
He added that the prevailing economic circumstances in the country and the insistence by some legal luminaries that the profession is elitist, has further worsened the situation.

The House of Representatives yesterday condemned the high cost of school fees demanded by law schools across the country.

To this end, lawmakers urged the committees on Justice, Tertiary Education and Services and Finance to interface with the Director General of Nigerian Law School and other relevant stakeholders on the challenge and requirements of the law school. The matter was brought to members attention in a motion by Hon. Mark Gbillah (APC- Benue)

In it, Gbillah noted that the exponential increase in Law school fees over the last couple of years was alarming. “The increase in law school fees over the last couple of years for the 2016/2017 session of 250,000 and 295,000 for bar part I and bar II Nigeria Law graduate which with additional compulsory payment usually increase to between 320,000 to 350,000 respectively and basic school fees of 1,145,000 and 629,000 for bar part I and bar part II for law graduate from abroad which increases to between 120,000 to 700,000 respectively inclusive of other compulsory payment, is alarming,” he said.

He added that the prevailing economic circumstances in the country and the insistence by some legal luminaries that the profession is elitist, has further worsened the situation.

He said there was need for the government to quickly intervene in addressing the issue. ” It is important the federal government and all stockholders stop paying lip service to the problem and initiate an emergency national discourse to safeguard the future of this Nobel profession,” he said.

Contributing to the motion, Abubakar Adamu ( APC-Niger) said that the issue has subjected the poor from going to law school, adding that an average civil servant cannot afford the fee.

” From the look of things, we are making education meant for the rich alone. How can a child of a poor person afford 400 thousand naira to attend law school,” he said.

Hon. Nnamdi Agbo also contributing to the motion said that if appropriate action was not taken, the fee would keep increasing and many law graduate would not be able to attend the compulsory programme in law schools.

He called on the federal government to address the issue on time in order that law students staying at home could attend the school.

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