Stop politicising Law School, NBA cautions National Assembly

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has berated the National Assembly for turning the establishment of Law School to constituency project via proposing six more campuses to make them 12 when the existing ones “are not properly funded.”

Its President, Olumide Akpata, spoke, yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, at a press conference to announce a three-day NBA Legal Education Summit holding in Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) with the theme, “Reimagining Legal Education in Nigeria,” deplored the politicisation of the training institution, noting: “The Law Schools are grossly underfunded. It has one of the worst budgetary provisions.”

The NBA boss continued: “Presently the school has six campuses. It is pitiable seeing the condition of the six campuses. It is like somebody trying to play game, while trying to set up another six when the existing ones are underfunded with some lawmakers trying to locate (them) in their constituencies.

“It is wrong for anyone to politicise the establishment of Law School, because it is too important to be seen as constituency project.”

Akpata said the summit was conceptualised to intervene in legal education and come up with policies that could engender sound learning.

Chairman of the 2022 Planning Summit and ABUAD’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Damilola Olawuyi, stated that the event “is geared towards resetting the system, since policy makers in Nigeria have come to the realisation that the legal education system has declined geometrically.”

Discussants include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN); Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abubakar Adamu Rasheed and Chief Afe Babala (SAN).

Others are Chairman of Nigerian Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige; Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Ciroma and heads of various universities nationwide.