Law graduates
of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have sent a 20-point petition
to the Senate over their exclusion from
the Nigerian Law School
programme.
Chairman of
the “Law Graduates Forum,’’ Mr Carl Umegboro,
made this known in a statement, in Abuja, on Wednesday.
He said that
the letter was submitted to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and
Privileges, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.
Umegboro said
that the forum raised some issues concerning its members in the letter dated
April 23.
The chairman
said the issues would help the Senate during the public hearing on the
National Open University of Nigeria and Nigerian law school crisis which the
committee was determined to resolve.
He said that
the Council of Legal Education released its Public Notice in 2015 through
various newspapers against the Open University’s Faculty of Law that admitted
its first set in 2004 and graduated in 2013.
“The
university has at the moment graduated four sets with LL.B degrees that have
been rendered idle and roaming around the streets since law degree cannot
easily fit into other fields of endeavours.
“ The
student’s handbook of the university states that on successful award of
Bachelor of Law, students shall be admitted into the Nigerian law school in
pursuit of enrolment to the bar for practice.’’
Umegboro said
that the Unified Matriculation Tertiary Education /JAMB brochure gazetted by
the Ministry of Education clearly indicated that the university was authorised
and accredited to offer Bachelor of Law degree.
He said on two
occasions, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed accompanied
by other Justices of the Supreme Court attended law week programmes and
inaugural lecture organised by the university’s faculty of law.
“These
Justices convinced the students on the authenticity of the Law programme the
university was running.’’
Umegboro added
that the university’s lecture materials were either developed or edited by the
best brains in the legal profession, including Prof. Itse Sagay, who edited its
constitutional law 1 and 2.
“Emphatically,
Open University law students are lectured by seasoned legal luminaries that are
lecturers in conventional universities,’’ he said.
According to
him, the actions of the council of legal education in conjunction with the
judiciary are a threat to national security, democracy and the rule of law in
Nigeria.
“The tactical
delay and trauma we have been subjected to without any legal impediments are
not only act of wickedness but aberration and mockery to the legal justice
system.
“We demand
unconditional admission into Nigerian law school for vocational training.’’
He explained
that the forum also petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria in February 2017.
This was after
the court in Port-Harcourt failed to deliver judgment on the case fixed for
Jan. 27, 2017 on the issue as scheduled after hearing of the matter on Dec. 7,
2016. (NAN)
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