The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, SAN, has raised serious concerns over the growing disregard for admission quotas by law faculties across the country, warning that it is worsening congestion at the Nigerian Law School and overstretching its facilities.
In a recent interview, Osigwe said several universities were admitting students far beyond their approved quotas, resulting in a flood of law graduates that the Law School can no longer accommodate.
“We should look at the proliferation of universities, the increasing demand for admission to study law, and the pressure on the Law School. Too many universities are offering law, and many are abusing the admission quota system. People can’t even get into the Law School, and this has created serious problems,” he stated.
According to him, the backlog of law graduates waiting for admission has forced the Law School to expand its yearly intake, thereby increasing the number of lawyers being called to the Bar. While noting that it would be unfair to deny qualified graduates access, Osigwe urged urgent reforms to align university admissions with the Law School’s limited capacity.
He also addressed the restriction that allows each graduate only one invitation card for the Call to Bar ceremonies. Osigwe explained that the measure was necessitated by safety, space, and crowd control concerns.
At the last Call to Bar ceremonies in July, about 5,728 students were admitted over three days — averaging 1,900 per day. Another 4,429 graduates were called between September 23 and 25.
“The reality is that the hall has limited capacity. With the rising number of graduates, safety and crowd control become major concerns. If each student brought two guests, the hall would be overwhelmed. The facilities simply cannot cope,” Osigwe said.
He recalled that during his own Call to Bar in 1999, each graduate was allowed two guests, but emphasized that today’s numbers make such a system impractical. Although he acknowledged the inconvenience for families, he maintained that the restriction was a necessary compromise to ensure order and safety.
The Call to Bar, conducted by the Body of Benchers, is the official ceremony admitting successful candidates into the Nigerian legal profession. To qualify, graduates must complete vocational training at the Nigerian Law School, pass the Council of Legal Education’s examinations, and be certified as fit and proper by the screening committee.
Punch