Council of Legal Education Sanctions Nine Universities over Admission Quota Violation

•Imposes five years ban on Lead City University

Wale Igbintade

The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has suspended admission of students into the Faculties of Law of nine universities across the country that willfully admitted and graduated students before obtaining the accreditation of the Council.

A statement issued by the Acting Secretary to the Council/Director of Administration, Ms. A.O. Osho said the council approved different sanctions on the affected universities.

According to the statement this was part of the resolutions reached by the council at its second quarterly meeting for the year 2024, held virtually on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 under the chairmanship of Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN.

Affected universities are, the Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State, Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State, Taraba State University, Jalingo, Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State, Kwara State University, Malete, and Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State.

Similarly, the council imposed a moratorium of five years on Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State in view of the observed inadequate infrastructural facilities in its Faculty of Law, coupled with its reckless violation of its admission quota of 50 students per academic session and other sundry issues its Faculty of Law.

The council however, pledged to accommodate within available space the over 1000 students unlawfully admitted by the university through its persistent violation of its admission quota.

According to the council, 50 students per academic session was the approved quota for new faculties of law to the Nigerian Law School, but it observed that some universities have graduated students in violation of the policy.

The council also approved the constitution of an ad-hoc committee to look into the recent judgment delivered against the Council of Legal Education, Attorney-General of the Federation and two other parties in Suit No SC/1097/2019, over a property at Igbosere Road Lagos, which was the first building that housed the pioneer students of the Nigerian Law School.

Consequently, the council set up an ad-hoc committee headed by Mr. Kehinde K. Eleja, SAN to look into the judgment to fashioning out modalities of complying with the terms of the said judgment as well as taking other lawful steps towards securing the monumental property acquired by the council in 1962.

Other members of the committee are: the Attorney General of Lagos State, Lawal Pedro, SAN, Sebastine T. Hon, SAN, Funmi A. Roberts, Mr. Chukwuma Ezeala, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, Dr. Gbemisola Odusote,  an d Dr. Nasiru Tijani.

The committee was also charged to interface with the Attorney General of the Federation on the implications of the judgment on the council. The Committee may need to also interface with the Judgment Creditors in order to arrive at a harmonious resolution of the matter.

The council approved the establishment of a Legal Unit in the Office of the Director- General of the Nigerian Law School for this purpose considering the need for an active legal unit to monitor cases in court involving the council and for the council to be kept regularly informed.

The council also granted provisional accreditation status with an admission quota of 50 to 2 (two) private universities namely: El-Amin University, Minna, Niger State and Newgate University, Minna, Niger State.

The statement added that the council also resolved to revisit the Faculty of Law of Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja and Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, Oyo State at a later date to cross-check their compliance with the findings of the Accreditation Team.

“University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, Abuja: Given the improved quality and quantum of infrastructural facilities in the faculty of law and coupled with the number of academic staff recently recruited especially at professorial cadre, approved an increased admission quota from 100 to 160.

“Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State: In view of the observed inadequate infrastructural facilities in its Faculty of Law, coupled with its reckless violation of its admission quota of 50 students per academic session and other sundry issues its Faculty of Law is associated with, council imposed a moratorium of five years on the university’s Faculty of Law as a sanction for its various acts of commission and omission. The council will strive to accommodate within available space the over 1000 students unlawfully admitted by the university through its persistent violation of its admission quota.”