Port Harcourt Law School campus duly approved, says Senate

The Senate has acknowledged the approval by the Council of Legal Education for the establishment of the Nabo Graham Douglas Campus of the Nigerian Law School.

This is contained in a statement, yesterday, by Kelvin Ebiri, Special Assistant, Media to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, said they would visit the Port Harcourt campus of the Nigerian Law School to assess ongoing construction work.

Bamidele stated this in his opening remark at a public hearing on Legal Education (Consolidation, Etc) Act L.10, LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2021 (SB 820) at the Senate yesterday.

He said the intent and purpose of the bill is to enhance the justice sector to be in tune with trends and practice as obtainable in other jurisdictions.

“It is instructive to note that during debate on the general principles of the bill at various sittings of the Senate, divergent views were canvassed by distinguished senators, thereafter myriad of reaction was stimulated from relevant stakeholders and member of the public on the rationale of enacting the bills as an act of the National Assembly.

“Consequently, the committee resolved to adopt the legislative mechanism of conducting this public hearing in order to gauge and aggregate the viewpoint and opinion of relevant stakeholders in our bid to further strengthen and enrich the legislative process.”

Senator Smart Adeyemi, who sponsored the bill that is intended to create at least two campuses of the Nigerian Law School in each geopolitical zone, said the Port Harcourt campus would not be affected by the amendment.

“There is already approved for a Law school in Port Harcourt, and that will be accommodated.”

The Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, in a memorandum submitted to the committee, urged the National Assembly to reject the Bill 2021 as presently constituted because it is oppressive and discriminatory against the government and people of the state.

He recalled that during the flag-off ceremony for the construction of modern facilities at the Yenagoa campus of the Nigerian Law School by Rivers State Government, Wike offered to build, furnish, and hand over a brand new campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt, if given the approval.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had consented to the request and work has reached an advanced stage.