The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has granted approval to five private universities to commence their law degree programs, while also announcing that 35.98% of candidates who sat for the June 2024 Re-sit Bar Final Examinations failed to make the cut.
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These resolutions were reached during the Council’s third quarterly meeting held on September 27, 2024, under the chairmanship of Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, OFR, DSSRS.
The universities given the nod to start their law programmes are University on the Niger, Umunya, Anambra State; University of Ilesa, Ilesa, Osun State; Maduka University, Ekwegbe-Nsukka, Enugu State; Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State; and Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Calabar, Cross River State. Each university was approved to commence with a quota of fifty students at 100 level.
However, Alex Ekwueme Federal University and Arthur Jarvis University were barred from admitting students for the next two years as a sanction for admitting students before the CLE’s facility verification. The Council also declined to approve the commencement of law programmes at Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, and Wesley University, Ondo, Ondo State, citing unresolved issues in their Faculties of Law.
The results breakdown for the June 2024 Re-sit Bar Final Examinations revealed that out of the 1,287 candidates who participated, 796 (61.85%) passed, while 463 (35.98%) failed. The Council also approved various sanctions for referred admission cases and students involved in examination malpractice and misconduct.
In a move to strengthen its workforce, the CLE approved the recommendations of its Appointments, Promotions and Disciplinary Committee (AP&DC) led by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, for the promotion and discipline of some academic and non-academic staff of the Nigerian Law School. Ms. Aderonke O. Osho and Mr. Oluwabamigbe Gbenga were appointed as the substantive Secretary to Council & Director of Administration and Director of Finance & Accounts, respectively.
The Council maintained its stance on the moratoriums on admission of law students at Lead City University, Ibadan, and Baze University, Abuja, subject to their compliance with the Council’s directives upon re-visitation by the accreditation team.
These resolutions underscore the CLE’s regulatory role in maintaining standards and ensuring quality legal education in Nigeria. The approval of new law programmes and the disciplinary actions against erring institutions reflect the Council’s dedication to this mandate. However, the high failure rate in the Bar exams raises concerns about the preparedness of law graduates and highlights the need for ongoing reforms in legal education.
As the highest regulatory body for legal education in Nigeria, the decisions of the Council of Legal Education have significant implications for the future of the legal profession and the dispensation of justice in the nation.
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