Law is a serious course that requires the student to put his best foot forward”. The title of my piece then was: Much Ado about Law School examination failure. In similar vein, Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, owners of the school, OCJ Okocha was quoted by major newspapers during the same period as saying: “The reforms are on going, and the Council is determined to ensure that the said reforms are translated into the delivery of a higher quality of legal education throughout Nigeria.” Flowing from this, a cursory look at the results for this year will reveal that the managers of the school led by Onadeko are on upward swing. Presenting the new wigs to the Body of Benchers under the Chairmanship of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed for admission into the Bar, Onadeko remarked: “ The May 2015 Bar Final examinations was undertaken by 2,851 students of the April entry class of the 2014/2015 School Year earlier referred to. They are generally dubbed the ‘backlog class’, but their performance has obliterated the backlog tag, They achieved 68.5% outright pass, and 2.9 per cent conditional pass. The two together give a success figure of 71.4 per cent. Of their numbers, four candidates attained the first class grade, 109 obtained the second class upper grade, 418 were classified in the second lower division and 1, 422 attained the pass grade. In sum, the total number of passes was 1, 953, while 815 failed outright”. Talking about sterling performance of the students during this dispensation, let us see how Daily Trust Judicial Editor, Adelanwa Adegboye captured “upward swing” in the school. Writing under the caption: Fatima makes history at Law School, he writes: “A genius, Fatimah Bombom made history on Wednesday, 21 October 2015 when she was honoured with standing ovation by the CJN, other members of the Body of Benchers and the CLE, other dignitaries and the new wigs (her colleagues just called to Bar). Fatimah broke the existing record in the Nigerian Law School by bagging nine separate awards compared to existing record of seven awards ever received at the Call to Bar.” Adelanwa, a lawyer, added that: “The awards include the Best Student of the Year (1st Prize) donated by Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Dr Taslim Elias and Justice Atanda Fatayi- Williams; the Council of Legal Education Star Award in Corporate Law Practice donated by Chief Adegboye Awomolo (SAN); Best Overall Female Student of the Year award donated by National Association of Women Judges; and Best Female Student in Criminal Litigation award by Mrs. Oluwatoyin Doherty. “The rest are Best Student in Civil and Criminal Litigation award donated by Chief Joe-Kyari (SAN); and the prize for 1st Class Students donated by the Director General of the Nigerian Law School. She also bagged Second Class Upper in her LL.B degree at the University of Abuja.” On the magic wand for this success, Onadeko said: “I am glad to report that there is a rising level of focus and diligence in our students. As I noted in my speech at the Call to the Bar ceremonies of November 2014, we have made it a point of duty to encourage them to: (i) attend all lectures including interactive sessions (ii) respond by participation in given assignments and group activities; and (iii) unhesitatatingly approach academic staff for clarification of any unclear issues that may arise in their course of duty. Experience has shown that the best way to comprehend a subject is to have it expounded by way of instruction, through a person with proven knowledge in the field. CLE’s prescription is that studying at the Nigerian Law School must only be undertaken on full time basis. This position is almost as old as the institution itself.” Onadeko also touched on the phased deployment of Information Communication Technology; issue of violation of admission quotas by some faculties of law; improved security issue and the need to reintroduce pupillage programme for new entrants to the legal profession. While admitting the new wigs into the Bar, Justice Muhammed drew their attention to provisions of the Rule of Professional Conduct and warned them that their violation “will amount to professional misconduct.” He singled out the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for commendation, saying: “May I use this medium to applaud the NBA for successfully organising the Annual General Conference in our Nation’s capital, Abuja. I must say that the Conference was well attended and the sessions were intellectually stimulating. I further commend the Bar for being an able partner in reform as we continue to promote and ensure the advancement of the profession.” Justice Muhammed also agreed with Dr. Onadeko said the new wigs would do themselves a lot of good if they take to pupilage because “it is the opportunity that you have to groom yourselves and develop a solid foundation for your future career.” All said and done, I doff my hat for Onadeko and his team for this upward swing that must not be lowered. Njoku, a lawyer, is also the Executive Director, Constitutional Watch, Lagos.]]>