The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) prides itself as the first of its kind Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institution in Nigeria, and the West African sub-region. With 63 study centres located in different parts of the country, the school provides an exciting platform where learning is not only easily accessible, but also affordable. The flexibility it gives its vast array of students to learn while also doing other things fits cozily into its slogan, “Work and Learn.” Upon coming onboard, NOUN sounded like good music to the ears of those who longed to acquire tertiary education in a flexible manner, but were left with no known platform to atualise their dream. However, for those that dreamt of practicing law, it was time to latch onto the wagon for a possible trip to their destination. But alas, the journey has been punctuated without them getting to their final destination. That appears to be the fate of the over 400 graduates of the Bachelor of Laws programme of the school, who since graduation, have been unable to attend the Nigerian Law School, and in the process complete the cycle of studentship to become legal practitioners. From all indications, it appears that graduates of the programme are suffering from the inability of concerned authorities to establish the distinguishing factors between part-time programmes and Open and Distant Learning (ODL) programmes. About 10 years after the NOUN law programme commenced, the CLE and Body of Benchers (BB), in a Tuesday, April 7, 2015 notice informed the general public that the LLB Hons degree programme offered by the NOUN is not approved. The position of the statutory bodies, that is the CLE and the Body of Benchers was as follows: “The study of law must be undertaken on full time basis, in recognised institutions for the provision of undergraduate studies; the regulatory bodies have long proscribed the study of law through part-time, distance learning, or correspondence studies and it was in consequence of this, that the part-time LL B programme run by the faculties of law of accredited universities were abrogated; that every aspirant for the legal profession must undertake an undergraduate study on full time basis, in a recognised faculty of law. This is because the study of law transcends knowledge acquisition alone, as it involves the molding of future entrants to the Bar in learning, character and attitude. Only last Thursday, the NUC announced the suspension of admissions into the programme, and thereafter affirmed that the moratorium would be in place pending the resolution of issues with the Council on Legal Education (CLE). Upon the successful completion of a law programme in a recognised university, a law graduate is expected to undergo vocational studies at the Nigeria Law School, and those who pass the final- Bar Part II – examinations are awarded a certificate from the Council of Legal Education. There are thereafter called to the Bar by the Body of Benchers, in line with the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act. Enrolment as a legal practitioner usually ends the process. Outgoing Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, who announced the suspension of admissions into the programme informed that the CLE has persistently disallowed NOUN’s law graduates from being admitted into the Nigerian Law School. Interestingly, while the CLE’s position has been that the teaching and study of law was clinical and cannot be done by correspondence, the institution is of the view that its law programme is an Open and Distant Learning programme and cannot be said to be correspondence-based or part-time. Okojie, who also informed that, “This matter is being addressed because it is between us, CLE and the university,” added that, “What we have done in the interim is stop new intake into that programme so that they do not have a backlog; we are addressing the issue. He continued, “I must say that the law programme in National Open University (NOUN) was approved by the NUC; it is our responsibility. When CLE came up with the idea of no part-time law, NOUN did not consider law a part-time programme by their mode; so they did not stop the programme.” According to him, NOUN’s law programme is not conceived as part-time as there is no need studying if one will not attend law school. On that score, he urged CLE to admit NOUN’s law graduates and give the institution its quota in terms of how many students they could admit. As matters stand, while NOUN law graduates remain peeved with the seeming discriminatory practice against them by the regulatory bodies, current students are bewildered at the uncertain fate that awaits them, while those itching to realise their childhood dream of practicing as legal practitioners are taking precaution. But as the standoff between the CLE and BB on the one hand and NOUN on the other hand persists, some analysts believe that not all that study law by correspondence, on part-time basis or even by open distant learning, lack the right learning, character and attitude to practice the trade. In fact, some believe that these sets of law graduates, including those from NOUN, are capable of outclassing their full-time counterparts. One of such proponents is Ogunyiriofo Okoro, who, in an article titled, “Should CLE recognise NOUN’s law degree?” argued that NOUN law degrees were discriminated against. He listed some Nigerians that soared in the profession, even though they studied on part-time basis or through correspondence to include, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Commander of Order of the Niger, and former Minister of Education and Youth Development, Dr T. O. Elias; Professor Obi Nwabueze; Justice Joseph Jeremiah Umoren; retired Judge of Abuja High Court, Justice Abdul Fatayi Demola Kuti, who was considered one of the known incorruptible judges Nigeria has ever produced. Others are Justice Michael Adeyinka Odesanya, whose taste for knowledge was so high that he was among four Nigerian students who passed intermediate Bachelor of Art Degree in Law as external students during the Second World War; Dr. G. B. A. Coker, who retired as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; Chief N. N. A. Okafor, who was the pioneer General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association at its inception in 1959, and Justice Emmanuel Ayoola (JSC), who served at the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Another legal icon, who studied law through correspondence is, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), fondly referred to as “the Grand Commander of the Legal Profession.” Director, Media and Publicity, NOUN, Ibrahim Sheme, told The Guardian that the decision to suspend admission into the law programme of NOUN was made by NOUN management, in the light of the issues the CLE has with the programme. So, “NOUN cannot take any further step until the NUC and CLE issue new directives on the degree programme. It is impossible for me to predict when this decision will take place. I think we should wait and see what it will be. But I am pretty sure you know that NOUN runs only the programmes the NUC approves for it, and it was the NUC that approved our Law programme in the first place.” Sheme, who said since the first convocation in the Faculty of Law, about 400 students have graduated, added that, so far none of the number has been admitted into the Nigerian Law School. “The reason was the misinterpretation by the CLE that NOUN degree programmes are ‘part-time’ and the CLE does not allow part-time programme graduates to enter the law school. NOUN degrees are not part-time, but Open and Distant Learning (ODL) programmes, of which there are many of their kind in the world.” On why the school continued admitting fresh intakes after the CLE and BB had earlier registered their positions regarding admitting the law graduates for vocational studies at the law school, Sheme said, “All the admissions were done with the assumption that students would be accepted into the law programme. When it became clear that there were issues, the management had to suspend further admission and inform the NUC about this decision.” What steps has the school taken so far to address the “discrimination” its law graduates have been subjected to over the years? Sheme responded, “I would not call it ‘discrimination’. Clearly there is the issue of the misinterpretation of the NOUN Act, which the CLE uses as a basis for considering NOUN law programmes as ‘part-time’, which it is not. NOUN and other stakeholders are working towards an amicable resolution of this issue. On what suspension of the programme means to those desirous of becoming lawyers using NOUN’s platform? He added, “It means that they have to wait until the issues have been resolved. We are hoping that they will be resolved very quickly.” Source:guardian]]>