The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has announced a 5-year moratorium on law admissions at Baze University Abuja, a private institution founded by Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.
The council said the university has been violating the approved quotas for law students since 2017, resulting in a backlog of over 347 graduates who are yet to be admitted into the Nigerian Law School.
According to a statement issued by the CLE on Friday, November 24, 2023, the council’s accreditation panel, led by the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, found that Baze University had exceeded its 50-student per session quota by admitting over 750 law students in the past six years.
This means that the university has used up its allocation for 15 years in a much shorter period.
The statement also revealed that Baze University was running a 3-year law degree programme for some candidates who entered through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), without the approval of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the CLE.
The NUC’s minimum benchmark academic standard for law degree programmes in Nigerian universities requires a 5-year programme for UTME candidates and a 4-year programme for direct entry students.
The CLE said it decided to impose a moratorium on law admissions at Baze University with immediate effect, to last for five years in the first instance, and may be renewed if the situation is not remedied. The council said it would use the 5-year period to find ways to deal with the backlog of law students admitted by the university in excess of its quota, and to ensure compliance with the accreditation standards.
The council also said it would conduct follow-up visits to the university to ascertain the extent of the measures taken to correct the anomalies observed during the accreditation visit.
It notified the NUC, JAMB, parents, guardians, prospective applicants, and members of the public of the moratorium, and advised them to avoid applying to the university’s law faculty temporarily.
The CLE’s decision has generated criticism from some quarters, who argued that it was unfair to the innocent or unsuspecting students and parents who had invested their time and money in the university. However, the council said it was acting in the interest of the legal profession and the quality of legal education in the country, and promised that the students’ fate would be addressed.
The Acting Secretary and Director of Administration of the Nigerian Law School, Ms Aderonke Osho, who signed the statement, said the CLE was chaired by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, OFR, who presided over the quarterly meeting held on November 23, 2023, where the report of the accreditation panel was considered.
“At its Quarterly Meeting held on November 23, 2023, the Council of Legal Education (CLE) presided over by its Chairman, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, OFR considered the report of the Accreditation panel to the Faculty of Law, Baze University, Abuja.
“It emerged from the findings by the Panel led by the Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, that: Baze University consistently and most flagrantly had contravened its admission quota of 50 students per session as approved by the Council of Legal Education with the result that the Faculty is currently having a backlog of over 347 law students waiting to be admitted into the Nigerian Law School.
“Since 2017 the Council of Legal Education had grappled with the excesses of Baze University by admitting over 750 law students which ordinarily would have taken about 15 years of admission based on the quota allotted to the University.
“Baze University runs a three (3)-year LL.B programme for some UTME candidates without the approval of National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB and Council of Legal Education.
“Under the NUC Minimum Benchmark Academic Standard (BMAS) for law degree programme in Nigerian Universities, Law is a five (5)-year programme for UTME candidates and four (4)-year for Direct Entry students.
“The Council of Legal Education after thorough consideration of these infractions resolved as follows: The imposition of a moratorium on admission of law students to the Faculty of Law, Baze University, Abuja, with immediate effect;
“The moratorium will last in the first instance for a period of 5 years and may be renewed if no satisfactory action is taken to remedy the situation.
“The Council in the interest of the innocent students, parents and guardians will use the 5 year period to find ways to deal with the backlog of law students admitted by Baze University in excess of its admission quota.
“Follow-up visits will be paid to the university to ascertain the extent of the measures it has taken to remedy the anomalies observed during the accreditation visit.
“The National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Parents, guardians, prospective applicants, and members of the public are hereby put on notice on the status of Baze University Abuja and its faculty of law.”
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