Buhari reappoints Ngige CLE chair, Maikyau, others make membership list

President Muhammadu Buhari has reappointed Emeka Ngige (SAN) as Chairman of Council of Legal Education (CLE) for another four years.

Besides the 36 state Attorneys-General, the reconstituted Council, which is to be inaugurated today in Abuja, also has 17 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) nominees as members.

The members include NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN); leading Evidence Law author, Sebastine Hon (SAN); Paul Harris Adakole Ogbole (SAN) and Mrs. Olufunmilayo Roberts.

The reappointment comes on the heels of a farewell dinner, held in honour of members of the 2019-2023 Council, last weekend, in Abuja. It would be recalled that Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Chiroma (SAN) was also reappointed last December by the President for another four-year term.

The Council, in collaboration with management of the law school, supervised six final Bar examinations and engaged in rehabilitation of decayed infrastructure through launch of the Nigerian Law School Support Initiative, a pet project of Ngige.

Apart from sundry projects delivered by the Federal Government through the supervising Federal Ministry of Justice, the Rivers State government constructed two hostels and a multi-purpose hall at the Yenagoa campus of the school. It capped the intervention with construction of a state-of-the-art campus in Port Harcourt within eight months.

In conjunction with the school administration, the Council built two medical centres at Abuja and Enugu campuses, commissioned a Moot Court, built by the Nigerian Law School Class of 1986 and several staff quarters were rehabilitated by the Enugu State government, besides installation of CCTV cameras in examination halls at Abuja headquarters and commencement of digitisation of files and documents to enhance speedy issuance of transcripts.

The Council also approved accreditation reports for law programmes in 37 universities, reviewed upwards grading system for Bar finals and resolved agelong debacle relating to National Open University (NOUN) law graduates by organising a special remedial course for them preparatory to their admission into the Bar finals programme.

The Council also overhauled its corporate governance regime, enforced disciplinary provisions in the Legal Education (Consolidation Etc) Act and reviewed the code of conduct for students.