EXCLUSIVE: How Council Of Legal Education, AGF Resolved To Admit NOUN Law Graduates {DOCUMENT}

The Council of Legal Education and other stakeholders have resolved to settle the issue of admitting the 1883 law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria into the Nigerian Law School.

This was made known in a briefing on the status of the Students of the institution by the Council of Legal Education, to the National Executive Council, during the NEC meeting held at NBA House, Abuja. The briefing was necessitated following a meeting convened by the Attorney General of the Federation of stakeholders, on the ground that the issue need be resolved as it is now becoming embarrassing to the Federal Government.

At the meeting, deliberations were made on the proposal submitted by the Nigerian Law School as a way forward for the lingering issue. According to the briefing, the Nigerian Law School was asked to present this position to the Council of Legal Education, the Chairman Body of Benchers, to its body, and the Nigerian Bar Association, to the National Executive Committee meeting of the bar.

Recall that by a notice dated April 2, 2015, the Council of Legal Education had said that it does not recognize the LLB Degree programme of NOUN. According to the notice, it was clarified to the general public that study of law undertaken in Nigeria must be on a full-time basis, in a recognized institution for the provision of undergraduate studies, adding that, this is also the position of the Nigerian Bar Association. Thus, NOUN, though an institution established by law, is not qualified to run the programme, not running the programme on a full-time basis but part-time. The general public was, therefore, advised that anyone who undertakes the study of law at NOUN is to note that the qualification obtained is unacceptable for admission to the Nigerian Law School for Bar Vocational training.

Present at the meeting were Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief O.C.J Okocha, SAN. JP, Former Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, who also represented the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, who is the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University, Prof. Uba Abdallah, and Paul Usoro, SAN, ably represented by Mr. Taidi, the General Secretary of the NBA.

TNL, recalls that at the NEC meeting held on the 5^th day of December, 2019, it was agreed that backlog NOUN law graduates should be allowed to partake in the Bar part one, after which only those who pass will be admitted into the Bar part two. Those who fail the Bar part one will not be allowed to rewrite. The grace, however, is only for the backlog students and not those subsequently admitted as the programme is not yet approved in the NOUN.

Below read the briefing on the status of Students of NOUN in PDF FORMATE OR CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

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