CLE, NBA oppose establishment of more law school campuses

The move by the Senate to create sox more law schools across the country was mired in troubled waters on Monday with the Council for Legal Education (CLE) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) opposed to the plan.

Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human. Rights and Legal Matters today conducted public hearing on the proposed establishment of law school in Kabba in the Western Senatorial district of Kogi State and five other areas.

The bill which was sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi also sought for the amendment of the Legal Education Consolidation Act 2004 to enable establishment of the law school and other five centres in the country.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi in his opening speech urged stakeholders to make input to the proposed amendment of the Act, particularly on the proposed establishment of law school in order to widen infrastructure that will drive smooth training of young Lawyers.

However, the former Senate President, Ike Ekwerwemadu firstly opposed the proposal and urged Senators to treat the matter with utmost caution, noting that law profession is a specialised area that should be excused from politics.

He explained that establishment of law school campuses should be the discretion of Council for Legal Education as empowered by the act that set it up in 1962.”

The National President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Barrister Olumide Akpata posited in the same vein and cited under funding of the existing six law schools as reasons new ones shouldn’t be established.

“With required infrastructure, the existing law schools across the country are enough to accommodate thousands of law students graduating from the various universities.

“The Council for Legal Education is the institution empowered by law to set up a new campus on the basis of need assessment and not political considerations driving the move for establishment of additional six across the six geo-political zones.

“Besides, resources of the Federal Government which are wearing out, cannot help in putting in place such campuses let alone, sustaining them.

“What is required from the Senate and by extension the National Assembly, is to by way of appropriation, team up with the executive for adequate funding of the existing law schools,” he said.

Akpata likened the condition of Yenagoa Law school campus to that of Ikoyi prison and vehemently opposed to establishment of law schools anywhere.

Chairman of the Council for Legal Education wasn’t left out, saying there is no need, when lamenting the deplorable state of existing ones

He advised lawmakers to go on oversight to Yenagoa campus to see the level of rot in other to form their opinion.

Ngige added that it would amount to usurping powers of CLE for Senate to move for establishment of law school campuses, which he insisted was the exclusive responsibility of the Council to determine.

“Any need for establishment of a new law school campus, are by law, be routed through the Council for Legal Education as exemplified by the Rivers Model,” he stressed.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Bamidele who spoke in favour of the bill explained that it seeks to amend the extant act in order to make provision for increase in the number of the Nigerian Law School Campuses from the current six to 12.

The proposed campuses would be in Kabba, Kogi State, Maiduguri, Argungu in Kebbi, Okija in Anambra, Orogun in Delta and Ilawe in Ekiti.