NOUN Law Graduates Petition Buhari Again, Reject Strange Bar Part-1 ‘Full-Year’ Curriculum – TheNigerialawyer

….Offer Not In Good Faith

Embattled law graduates of the National Open University of
Nigeria (NOUN) have again petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari
over the offer by the Council of Legal Education which they
described as unfair resolutions with discrimination, inequality and
above all, unknown to any law in the country.

This was contained in the communiqué to President Buhari on
Friday by the Law Graduates Forum (LGF) of NOUN which was signed by
Carl Umegboro and Ado Usman Garba; the group’s chairman and
secretary respectively.

The CLE chairman, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) had during the
National Executive Committee meeting of the Nigerian Bar
Association in Abuja on Thursday stated that the Director General,
Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Ciroma (SAN) suggested that
NOUN law graduates would be admitted into Bar Part-1 instead of Bar
Part-2 which they qualified for as home students, and added that
even the Bar Part-1 would be different from the existing curriculum
foreign students go through for 3 months but one Full year prior to
qualifying for Bar Part 2.

The group rejected the offer stating that it was not made in
good faith stating that such offer would do more harm than good to
them knowing that apart from reducing them as inferiors to their
counterparts, it would discriminate them and easily pave way for
malice, intimidations and frustration while in the law school since
they will be isolated group.

LGF chairman stated that they are not afraid of review of
curriculum as long as it would be for all students if the Council
is of the view that reviews are necessary adding that NOUN law
graduates had once defeated their counterparts in a contest with a
good margin, but to run a strange curriculum different from what
others undergo is injustice and unacceptable. The statement
reads;

“We received a pleasant news on the resolution of NOUN/Law
School crisis on Thursday only to read through and discovered an
obnoxious clause in the statement issued by the Council of Legal
Education after its meeting. The clause echoed double standard, and
therefore not in good faith;

“They will have to run the BAR PART 1 for one (1) full academic
calendar year as in place of 3 months which foreign students use
for the BAR PART 1”.

“Your Excellency, Sir, the above is not only strange and
prejudicial but discriminatory which Your Excellency’s assent
remedied through the NOUN (Amendment) Act on 7 December, 2018. The
ugly implications of the clause is that there would be three
category of law students vis-à-vis admission in the Nigerian Law
School, to wit: (1) Law students from ‘qualified’ universities in
Nigeria; Bar Part 2 (For all categories); (2) Law students from
foreign universities:  Bar Part 1 (3 months) + Bar Part 2; and
strangely, (3) Law students from NOUN: Bar Part 1 (1 Full year) +
Bar Part 2.”

“Your Excellency, Sir, it is indeed heartbreaking the manner of
discriminations despite Presidential assent which reconciled the
alleged controversy in the NOUN Act coupled with unbearable
provocations we have been subjected to by authorities since 2013
but calmed down for amicable resolution”.

“Sir, Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, Federal Republic of
Nigeria (as amended) provides for Right to Freedom of
Discrimination. Please, are we not also protected by the right? We
make bold to state that we cannot run a separate strange curriculum
outside the existing two; either as home or foreign students”.

“Clearly, the clause amounts to discrimination, inequality and
intimidations and we reject it in entirety. We studied in NOUN as
NUC accredited home institution like others and therefore there’s
no basis to be treated differently from other universities in the
country. We believe the clause was to ignite disagreements to
further prolong the crisis”.

“However, if for any reason, Bar Part-1 must become an option,
it cannot be different from the existing Bar Part-1 for foreign
students which runs for three months. The strange 1-year duration
exclusively for NOUN law graduates which will separate us from
other students is unacceptable as malice and other plots may play
out”.

“Sir, we wish to categorically reiterate our position that we
will not sit and allow fresh graduates admitted into the Nigerian
Law School for vocational training again while we continue to roam
the streets as we have been subjected to unbearable hardships and
adversities for no just cause for years”.

It was also added that when admitted into the strange Bar
Part-1, those who fail cannot be allowed to rewrite unlike other
students from other universities.

The LGF appealed to President Buhari to use his good office to
resolve the crisis without further delay adding that it is shocking
that till date, the stakeholders meeting as directed by the
Presidency has not been held which it said, is to say the least,
strange in administration. The petition was copied to the Minister
of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.

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