The Faculty of Law Alumni members of Lead City University (LCU) Ibadan have faulted the decision of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) to suspend the admission of Law students into the institution.
The CLE recently suspended the admission of students into the Faculties of Law at nine Nigerian universities, including LCU.
The Council made decision during its second quarterly meeting of 2024, chaired by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN.
It alleged that the affected universities were found to have admitted and graduated law students without obtaining the necessary accreditation from the CLE.
However the LCU Faculty of Law Alumni in a statement on Friday described the decision of the CLE to suspend the admission of Law students into the institution as misleading.
The Alumni stated that, though the recent visitation to the Faculty by the CLE Team, led by Professor Isah Hayatu Ciroma, SAN, pronounced positively on the state of the facilities of the Faculty, clearly a wrong report was placed before the meeting of the Council.
It stated that it was unbelievable that the CLE could take such a step in respect of LCU which Faculty of Law has produced erudite lawyers and teachers of the Law for itself and other Law Faculties, within and outside the country.
The LCU Faculty of Law Alumni further listed a judge in the United States of America (USA) as one of the products of the institution in the last 19 years.
The LCU Faculty of Law Alumni additionally stated that the institution was unjustly suspended, noting that it satisfied the CLE requirement with the following:
“The Faculty enjoys the full accreditation of the National Universities Commission (NUC) for all its academic programmes, notably the LLB, LLM and Ph.D Laws.
“Likewise the esteemed Council for Legal Education approved and accredited the LCU Law Programme in a joint visitation with NUC.
“The erudite team of scholars and professionals that appraised the first class facilities and human resources of the Faculty from the Council of Legal Education was led by Professor Isah Hayatou Ciroma, SAN. Thus qualifying the graduates of the Law Faculty to proceed to the Law School and attain the envious status of Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“Our Faculty of Law presents a purpose built 2-floor Faculty Building, a 735-seater Lecture Hub and large classrooms of various sizes comprising of the following:
“Well-equipped Law Library with both physical and on-line resources; Moot Court well furnished with padded seats for 250 participants, Judges Chamber (en-suite); Faculty Board Room with capacity for 100 people;
“Well Furnished and fully air-conditioned offices for Lecturers, Administrators and Law Student Association (LSA), office and Common room, Law Clinic and Multi Door Court.”
The LCU Faculty of Law Alumni claimed that staffing was adequate across all cadres with retiring eminent jurists in the Faculty. It declared “These are facts we have always known for over a decade.
“It is no news that the Nigerian Law School admits graduates far above the so-called admission quota for good reasons which often include delays in reviewing applications for increase in quota coming from the numerous institutions offering the Law programme.”
The LCU Faculty of Law Alumni however stated that there is some respite simply because it is not every Law graduate that aspires for immediate transition to the Law School.
“While awaiting the promised review of its initial quota of 50, the Faculty has, with the gracious acquiescence of the Director General of the Law School, Professor Isah Hayatou Ciroma, enabled the admission of additional numbers into the Law School as students should not suffer unduly while the usually long review processes and protocols are ongoing.
“Indeed, in the list for 2023 admissions, 30 of the candidates were added to the Dean’s List from the Faculty by the Director-General himself. This has been the trend over the years,” the LCU Alumni stated.
It commended the assistance of the CLE Director-General in helping the university to accommodate demands of those willing to fulfill their dreams to study Law.
“We understand that the recent visitation to the Faculty by the CLE Team, once again led by the erudite Prof Isah Hayatu Ciroma, pronounced positively on the state of the facilities of the Faculty, but a clearly wrong report was placed before the meeting of the Council.
“It was a cut and paste resolution which did not reflect the true state of affairs in our first class institution.
“Furthermore, the report suppressed the highly relevant intervention of the Presidency on the matter- a flagrant disrespect to the High office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.
“Accordingly, we urge the authorities of Lead City University to diligently appeal the announced decision.
“We urge the esteemed CLE to immediately grant LCU and other institutions their right to fair hearing before making public pronouncements that may unduly be damaging to the integrity of some of these great institutions and their alumni.”
Packaged by Alice Egbedele
