The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has come under fire from its law students after the university’s management decided to scrap the law degree programme, leaving nearly 1,500 final year students in a state of uncertainty.
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Documents reveal that on January 25, 2023, the University’s Senate ratified the decision to discontinue the law degree programme at the end of the 2023 second semester. Concerned law students, under the banner “concerned law students,” sought intervention from the House of Representatives in a letter dated October 27, 2023.
The House of Representatives acknowledged the call for intervention and pledged to arrange a meeting between student representatives and the Open University’s management. Despite meetings held between November 2023 and January 2024, no meaningful progress has been made.
The affected final year students, who have invested millions in their legal education at NOUN, now face the risk of not graduating. It is estimated that a law student at the institution spends approximately N3 million to complete their studies up to the 500 level.
This is not the first time NOUN has been embroiled in controversy. Earlier reports highlighted students’ difficulties in obtaining graduation certificates and the university’s failure to convoke them, leaving them without evidence of their academic achievements.
Students have expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the institution regarding developments that impact their academic well-being. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “We were not notified, we only saw a statement on social media suggesting that the law programme would be stopped after we spent how many years on it and no one has offered any form of apology or genuine concern.”
It is understood that NOUN intends to seek fresh accreditation for the law programme by not admitting new law students. However, this decision jeopardizes the legal aspirations and five-year investments of the current 500-level law students.
When contacted for comment, NOUN’s Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Sheme, declined to address the issue and instead requested that our correspondent visit him at his office.
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