In a hall filled with proud families, hopeful graduates, and robed dignitaries, the 2023 Call to Bar ceremony held this July at the Nigerian Law School felt like any other – except for one small group that stood out. They were 15 in number, dressed in black and white, and called from different corners of Nigeria. But what united them was something far more powerful: they were all beneficiaries of the Prada Uzodimma Law School Scholarship Grant (PUSG).

Among the sea of applause, Prada Uzodimma, PhD, sat quietly in the audience, visibly moved. For her, this wasn’t just another ceremony. It was a homecoming of sorts – an emotional reminder of why she started the scholarship initiative four years ago. And this year, those reminders were 15 bright, accomplished lawyers who might never have made it to the Bar without the intervention of PUSG.

Launched in 2021, the PUSG was born from Prada’s personal experience as a law student. “I saw brilliant classmates with the potential to be great lawyers drop out simply because they couldn’t afford the Nigerian Law School fees,” she once shared. That painful reality lit a fire in her – one that gave rise to an initiative that is now rewriting the narrative for financially disadvantaged law graduates across Nigeria.

What began with just five beneficiaries in its first year has grown exponentially. In 2022, the number rose to 10. By 2023, it had doubled again to 15. And in a historic announcement earlier this year, the PUSG unveiled its largest cohort yet – 20 scholars for the #PUSG2024 class, selected from diverse ethnic, religious, and regional backgrounds. That brings the total number of supported students to over 50, with 30 already practicing as lawyers.

But the impact of PUSG isn’t measured solely in numbers. It’s measured in stories – stories like that of Aluma Chukwuebuka Harmony, a #PUSG2022 beneficiary who not only graduated but earned an internship placement at Banwo & Ighodalo, one of Nigeria’s most prestigious law firms.

Each year, the initiative expands – not just in size, but in scope. Beneficiaries are not only sponsored financially; they are mentored, coached, and trained through the PUSG Fireside Chats, a mentoring forum that connects young lawyers with legal giants across Nigeria. They also benefit from internship placements through Principle Legal Consult, PUSG’s founding partner, which exposes them to real-world legal work in preparation for their professional journey.

But what truly sets PUSG apart is its heart. At its core, the initiative is not just about education. It is about dignity. It is about justice. It is about ensuring that no talented Nigerian is denied the right to fulfill their purpose because of circumstance. That ethos is what makes PUSG more than a scholarship – it’s a movement.

This movement has not gone unnoticed. Legal icons, government officials, and civic leaders have all acknowledged its growing influence. Among its loudest supporters are Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, the Director General of the Nigerian Law School, and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, SAN, both of whom have publicly praised its credibility and transformational value.

As the PUSG Class of 2023 takes their first steps into Nigeria’s legal system, Prada is already preparing for the future. She hopes to do more – more scholarships, more internships, more mentors, and more lives changed.

“We are building a generation of lawyers who understand the value of opportunity, and who will fight to extend that opportunity to others,” she recently said during an interview.

From a single vision in 2021 to a national platform of empowerment in 2025, the PUSG stands as a testament to what is possible when compassion meets conviction.

As the sun set on the Call to Bar ceremony, the new lawyers stood tall – not just as legal professionals, but as living proof that dreams, when supported, can become justice in motion.