NOUN Students Seek Quick Resolution of Conflicts Over Law School

Moses Dairo (LAWSAN President)

LAW Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), National Open University of Nigeria chapter, has called on the Council of Legal Education to review its position barring Law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria from admission into the Bar Part II of the Nigerian Law School noting that the institution is duly accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) which is the statutory regulatory body for accreditation of university programmes.

LAWSAN President, Mr. Moses Danladi Dairo, who earlier made the appeal during the previous Law Week of the association held in Abuja restated that the law graduates of NOUN are competent and eligible in all ramifications having undergone all the requirements as specified for the school/faculty of law in Nigerian universities.

The students leader recalled that despite the misconception against the institution, its law students had emerged as the overall winner in the National Moot-Court competition organized for all the universities in Nigeria and consequently represented the nation in overseas.

Similarly, Dairo extended his appeal to all the stakeholders, including the National Assembly, Body of Benchers, the Nigerian Bar Association as well as President Muhammadu Buhari, to intervene in the administrative conflict between CLE and NOUN/National Universities Commission over the non-recognition of the institution’s law graduates for the vocational training in the Nigerian Law School.

He gave the authorities of the CLE the assurance that Law graduates of NOUN would not constitute a preponderance of students of the Nigerian Law School who would fail their Bar Part II Final Examination, if given the opportunity.

Dairo also pointed out that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) established the university by an Act of the National Assembly pursuant to the United Nations Education initiative, adding that the open university educational system had been all over the world, including the United Kingdom, India, China and South Africa and therefore argued that Nigeria could not shut itself out and refuse to be dynamic, especially in this era of change.

“Nigeria should not remain an island in these emerging global best practices, especially given the resolve that with the Vision 2020 policy drive, the country is expected to eliminate all forms of Illiteracy and provide education for all by 2020. Law programme, certainly, should not be the prerogative of a few privileged people”, Dairo dispassionately said.