Lawyers task universities on qualitative legal education

Lawyers have emphasised the need for tertiary institutions in the country to continue to produce law graduates that could compete with their counterparts from various parts of the world.

The Class of 1986 Faculty of Law graduates, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) stated this in Enugu, during their three day reunion exercise.

At an explanatory visit to the law faculty of the Enugu campus of the University, the former students called on the heads of the faculty to continue to ensure standards that would make the faculty the number one choice for any aspiring law student.

They told the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Joy Ezeilo and other principal officers of the faculty that they had come “to inspect our alma mater to know their needs and how we can intervene to lift their standard and inspire the students”.

Speaking on behalf of the class, Nnabuike  Ede Chime explained that products of the faculty have continued to make wave in various parts of the country and the world at large, stressing that ‘this was due to the quality of education we received from here”.

He continued: “We will be looked upon like ingrates if after the successes we have recorded in our various practice, we do not come here to look for ways of helping the younger ones receive proper training”.

He said that through the trainings received from the faculty, most members of the class have become judges and Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), adding that some of the members were practising abroad.

According to him, the class was elated on seeing the level of expansion that had gone in terms of new structures, which were not there during their time, 33 years ago.

“This home coming is also to enable us think of ways of contributing to nation building and positive ways we can encourage our members to participate in exercises that can lift the country. We also want to give back to the society through our alma mater. There are structural improvements in terms of buildings but we are still interested in the quality of staff of the faculty. This is because we have leading lawyers in the country who were products of this place and we want the quality to remain.

The class used the opportunity to also appoint the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and four others into its Board of Trustees (BoT). They also reconstituted its management team with Mr. Ede Chime as President.

Acting coordinator of the class, Mr. Jude David Mbamalu stated that the appointment of the management team as well as constitution of the Board of Trustees had put the association in a good stead to function effectively.

He stressed the need for the class to continue to act as one and protect one another at all times.