Coast beginning to Clear for NOUN Law Graduates to Attend Law School

There are indications that the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) law graduates’ will soon heave a sigh of relief  as the coast is now beginning to clear for them to get admission into the Nigerian law school. This indication came last Thursday when the leaders of the NOUN law graduates and NOUN law students led by Alex Okonofua visited the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) in his office in Abuja who promised to ensure that immediate steps will be taken by the ministry to ensure that NOUN Law Graduates go to law school. He further stated that the law is on their side. The Law graduates who took the protracted battle between their alma mater and the Council for Legal Education over the latter’s refusal to admit the former’s law graduates to Nigeria law school to the Attorney General of the federation, who by virtue of section 4 of Legal Education (Consolidations etc.) Act, empowers the Attorney-General of the Federation to give the Council directions with regard to the exercise of its functions and the council shall comply with such directives had asked him to use his position to resolve the pending issues so that they could go to law school. The AGF therefore requested the NOUN law graduates to formally write a letter as an affected Innocent Third Party and submit it to the ministry of justice’ registry to enable him take formal actions on their request.

On his part the Vice Chancellor  of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Abdalla Adamu who received the NOUN law graduates and a representative of NOUN law students after their visit to the Attorney General in his office told them that his efforts aimed at resolving the issue of denial of NOUN law graduates admission into law school and other challenges facing the school such as non inclusion of its graduates in the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) has led him to the National Assembly where he has addressed the leadership of its two Houses where they both promised to take immediate steps in resolving the issues. Professor Abdalla Adamu also hinted that the school law graduates may be recalled for a brush up programme before they will attend law school and that will be at no cost to the graduates.

The imbroglio over the eligibility of the NOUN law graduate to attend Nigeria law school has led the National Universities commission (NUC)to temporary suspend further admission of students into the law programme of the open university of Nigeria. With the new development, it is expected that things will normalise in the faculty of law of the NOUN soonest.