With the ban on Baze University by the Council of Legal Education, universities exceeding their quotas have created a backlog, preventing law graduates from certification, reports AMARACHI OKEH.
Ihuoma Chime experienced a wave of disappointment after her five-year journey at Base University in Abuja culminated in graduating from the Faculty of Law in 2021, yet she remained unable to practice law due to the school’s failure to mobilize her for the mandatory one-year law school programme.
Chime, one of the 347 affected students, expressed frustration over the administrative failure by the university to comply with the Council of Legal Education’s recommendation of admitting only 50 students per session.
Several other students from different universities are grappling with similar situations due to the institutions exceeding their approved quotas, causing a ripple effect of backlogs and uncertainties related to their legal education and career prospects. Also, the competitive selection process for law school admission aggravates the anxiety among students.
While Baze University is among the institutions facing the consequences of defying the CLE’s approved quota, it is not the sole institution with this issue. Some universities have consistently disregarded the stipulated quota, making it challenging for students to enroll in the Nigerian Law School.
For instance, Abia State University’s law faculty has left 232 final-year students in a state of anxiety due to the CLE approving only 130 students for admission, leaving an excess of 102 students facing an uncertain fate.
Similarly, the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, failed to mobilize about 70 students from the 2021/2022 set for law school despite having a quota of 220 slots, resulting in disappointment and frustration among affected candidates.
These situations highlight the urgent need for tighter regulation to ensure that universities adhere to specified quotas, preventing undue anxiety and uncertainty among law graduates concerning their legal education and future careers.
Law education needs regulatory approach – Legal experts
The Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch, emphasized the necessity of discouraging schools from exceeding their quotas and suggested controlling admissions to avoid surpassing the stipulated quotas. Legal experts also stressed the need for stringent regulation of law education in Nigeria, given the current disregard for CLE guidelines and the resulting adverse impact on aspiring legal professionals.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) assured adherence to CLE-approved quotas in law programme admissions, emphasizing the illegality of schools admitting more than their capacity.
However, efforts to reach the Public Relations Officer, CLE, were unsuccessful, as the official did not respond to calls.
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