The Council of Legal Education has imposed a 5-year
moratorium on law admissions at Baze University Abuja for consistently
violating approved quotas.
In a statement on Friday, the Nigerian Law School said
findings showed Baze University, founded by the Labour Party’s presidential
running mate Yusuf Datti-Ahmed, was carrying over 347 backlogged law graduates
awaiting admission.
The council stated that since 2017, the university has
admitted over 750 law students, exceeding its 50 students per session allotment
that should have taken 15 years to fill.
It added that Baze also improperly runs a 3-year law degree
for some candidates instead of the accredited 5-year national benchmark
curriculum.
Consequently, CLE has banned the university from law
admissions for five years in the first instance, saying the period will enable
resolving the backlog and compliance issues.
The council said follow-up visits would check if remedies
have been implemented before considering lifting the sanction. It notified
admission bodies like JAMB to steer prospective students away from the
university temporarily.
The blanket moratorium despite the presence of innocent or
unsuspecting students and parents has generated criticism. But officials say
regulatory oversight must be upheld, promising that the students’ fate would be
addressed.
The Acting Secretary and Director of Administration of the
Nigerian Law School, Ms Aderonke Osho, who made this known, said, “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.”
The statement further noted that “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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