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NBA, Others Oppose Proposal For Six More Law Schools …PH Campus Duly Approved, Senate Affirms
A move for the establishment of six more law schools in the six geopolitical zone in the country met with stiff opposition from senators and major stakeholders in Nigeria judicial system who warned against politicization of legal education.
The lawmakers, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA); Council of Legal Education, amongst the stakeholders, in a public hearing, yesterday, at the National Assembly, warned against politicisation of legal education as this would only lead to deteriorated system but urged states governments who wants one to take a cue from Rivers State.
Specifically, they noted that the function of establishing law schools was vested in the Council of Legal Education, adding that such power should not be usurped by the National Assembly.
These came from a two-day public hearing on a bill seeking for its establishment of six more law schools sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi and two others by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The Senate committee, chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, had at the public hearing, sought for inputs from critical stakeholders on the legislative proposal titled: “Legal Education (Consolidated etc, Amendment) Bill 2021” but got unfavourable submissions from them.
First to pick holes in the bill were Senators Ike Ekweremadu and Seriake Dickson who called on their colleagues to be cautious on the proposal.
Ekweremadu, in particular, warned against politicising legal education, saying “establishment of new campuses or law schools should be left at the discretion of Council for Legal Education as empowered by the Act that set it up in 1962.”
Also opposing the proposed piece of legislation, the National President of NBA, Olumide Akpata, said the move was unnecessary as the existing six Law schools are grossly underfunded before the intervention of Rivers State Government with a well-equipped campus in Port Harcourt.
“With required infrastructure, the existing law schools across the country are enough to accommodate thousands of law students graduating from the various universities.
“The Council for Legal Education is the institution empowered by law to set up a new campus on the basis of need assessment and not political considerations driving the move for establishment of additional six across the six geo-political zones.
“Besides, resources of the Federal Government which are wearing out cannot help in putting in place such campuses let alone, sustaining them.
“What is required from the Senate and by extension the National Assembly is to by way of appropriation, team up with the executive for adequate finding of the existing law schools,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Chairman of the Council for Legal Education, Emeka Ngige, SAN, said the council is 100% opposed to it.
The position of the council, he lamented, arose from deplorable condition of most of the existing ones now due to gross underfunding.
“For instance, the deplorable condition in which students at the Yenagoa law campus are studying, is worse than what prisoners in Ikoyi Prison are experiencing,” he said.
He pointedly told the lawmakers that they will shed tears if they visit some of the existing campuses and see the deplorable conditions in which students and lecturers are living.
“The move by the Senate through this bill is more or less subtle usurpation of the functions of the Council for Legal Education.
“Any need for establishment of a new law school campus are by law, be routed through the Council for Legal Education as exemplified by the Rivers model,” he stressed.
However, the sponsor of the bill, Senator Smart Adeyemi, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, Kashim Shettima, Femi Falana, John Bayeshes, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, argued for establishment of the proposed law schools for accessibility of legal education by concerned knowledge seekers.
Earlier, chairman of the committee explained that the bill seeks to amend the extant Act in order to make provision for increase in the number of the Nigerian Law School campuses from the current six to 12 with one additional campus in each of the geo-political zone.
According to Bamidele, many students struggle to secure admission into the law school for them to qualify as legal practitioners in the country, adding that the bill seeks to provide more opportunities for the applicants.
Earlier on Monday, the Senate had acknowledged the approval by the Council of Legal Education for the establishment of the Nabo Graham-Douglas Campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said they would visit the Port Harcourt Campus of the Nigerian Law School to assess ongoing construction work.
Bamidele stated this in his opening remark at a public hearing on Legal Education (Consolidation, etc.) Act L.10, LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2021 (SB 820) at the Senate, last Monday.
He said the intent and purpose of the bill was to enhance the justice sector was in time with trends and practice as obtainable in other jurisdictions.
“It is instructive to note that during debate on the general principles of the bill at various sittings of the Senate, divergent views were canvassed by distinguished senators, thereafter, myriad of reaction was stimulated from relevant stakeholders and member of the public on the rationale of enacting the bills as act of the National Assembly.
“Consequently the committee resolved to adopt the legislative mechanism of conducting this public hearing in order to gauge and aggregate the view point and opinion of relevant stakeholders in our bid to further strengthen and enrich the legislative process.”
Senator Smart Adeyemi, who sponsored the Bill that is intended to create, at least, two campuses of the Nigerian Law School in each geopolitical zone, said Port Harcourt campus would not be affected by the amendment.
“There is already approval for a law school in Port Harcourt, and that will be accommodated.”
The Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, in a memorandum submitted to the committee, urged the National Assembly to reject the Bill 2021 as presently constituted, because it is oppressive and discriminatory against the government and people of the state.
He recalled that during the flag-off ceremony for the construction of modern facilities at the Yenagoa Campus of the Nigerian Law School by Rivers State Government, Governor Nyesom Wike, had offered to build, furnish and handover a brand new campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt, if given the approval.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had consented to the request and work has reached advance stage.
“In any event, a law is not required to establish new campuses of the Nigerian Law School as that exercise is purely administrative and the Council of Legal Education has already exercised that power with respect to the establishment of the Port Harcourt Campus of the Nigerian Law School.”
Speaking on the proposed establishment the bill, Senator Kashim Shettima said Wike has further demonstrated that he believes in the Nigerian project by investing in the construction of a brand new campus of Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt.
“If someone can singularly build a law school, he who comes to equity as you lawyers say, must come with not only clean hands, but the ability to add value and he (Wike) has added value by giving a law school, and justice and equity demand Law School should be established in Port Harcourt.”
The Chairman of Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, observed that there was an erroneous conception that by creating Port Harcourt Campus, the council had created a new law school.
He explained that Wike during a visit to the Yenagoa Campus with the Director General of the Law School, had been appalled by the decrepit infrastructure on the campus, and offered to build two hostels and one auditorium, valued at N5billion.
Ngige said during the flag-off of the two hostels and auditorium at the Yenagoa campus, Wike had offered to build a brand new campus in Port Harcourt, if the Council of Legal Education gives approval.
“We didn’t agree there. We had to follow due process. We went back to the supervising ministry, the Ministry of Justice to table the offer by His Excellency, the governor. The minister in turn took it to Mr. President (Muhammadu Buhari) and Mr. President gave his approval. That was how Port Harcourt campus came.”
He declared that the establishment of the Port Harcourt campus was devoid of sentiment or politics.
According to him, the Rivers State Government was presently constructing two hotels that would accommodate 1,500 people, an administrative block, medical centre, and lecturers’ quarters, among others.
Impressed by the infrastructure being provided by the Rivers State Government, he said the Council now has a guideline, tagged the ‘Rivers’ model’, that will be used as a yardstick to accept or reject any proposal for the establishment of any additional campus.
Former Nigerian Bar Association President, Onueze C.J. Okocha, said extant law empowers only the Council of Legal Education to establish campuses of the law school.
According to him, approval for the Port Harcourt followed through all the mechanism set for such approval.
By: Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that the modernised fire-fighting units with new buildings, necessary machinery, materials and equipment will strengthen the emergency response capability of personnel to fire incidences in the State.
The Governor pointed to how the provision will drastically reduce, if not eliminate, the vulnerability of Rivers population to fire disasters, as according to him, there will be timely assistance to victims to reduce damage and bolster conditions for sustainable development.
Governor Fubara, who gave the assurance while inaugurating the Rivers State Fire Service Headquarters Station, located by Isaac Boro Park Flyover, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, yesterday, said the gesture serves as a consolidation of the promise made, in line with his vision of governance: to provide quality service to the good people of Rivers State.
He explained that some years ago, the State was at the mercy of the multi-nationals that had functional fire trucks to respond to most fire incidences, and pointed to setbacks that greeted some emergencies, adding that the records of losses to fire incidences were colossal.
Governor Fubara said: “We lost the Mile One Market because we couldn’t respond adequately. We lost, even what we call, the Fruit Garden Market because we could not respond. Are we talking about houses, lives that have been lost in this State because of inadequate fire service?”
The Governor insisted that the purpose of governance is to provide such quality social services, protect lives and property, and make living comfortable for the people, asserting that his administration has not failed in those regards, and has continued to intensify the provision of services that have made Rivers people happy.
He said, “And, what we are doing today is to tell the good people of Rivers State, and to showcase to the world, that there is governance in this State. Not governance for the sake of governance, but governance that is purpose-driven, governance that is interested in projects that will change the lives of our people.
“Some days ago, a tanker fell along the Woji-Elelenwo Road. If it were before, lives would have been lost. But immediately, the fire service, not the multi-nationals, it was the Rivers State Fire Service that responded and arrested the situation. What else are we talking about?”
Governor Fubara said Rivers people are very happy with the consistent delivery of infrastructure projects that address the critical problems experienced by the people in the larger society, emphasising that he believed strongly that even if some persons are indulged in clandestine activities, and determined to discredit his administration, Rivers people are happy, indisputably so.
He explained, “We are not interested whether those people who are commissioned to undermine us are unhappy, that is not our business. Our business is about Rivers State and Rivers people. So, like the Commissioner said, we did not just do this for the sake of glamour. You come here, you see a painted house, every facility that is required in a well-built fire fighting facility, is all in this place.”
Governor Fubara said further: “You can image a government that has a fire service and the firemen are not working. It is only at the end of the month you pay them their salaries. You can see that they were not happy and unproductive. But today, they are happy because they have a big responsibility now ahead of them: to ensure that lives and property of the good people of Rivers State are adequately protected. So, I want to thank you for this particular spirit at this moment.”
Governor Fubara commended the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Sam Anya, for driving the process to conclusion, and the contractor for delivering the project on schedule, and assured that his administration will continue to ensure the protection of lives and property while defending the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Governor Fubara also told Rivers people to expect the provision of more basic amenities, unbiasedly, and advised those in charge of the firefighting equipment to safeguard and protect them so that they can serve their purpose maximally.
Providing the project description, Rivers State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Samuel Anya, explained that since the first fire service station was built in the 1960s, this was the first time the facility is being remodeled and upgraded, emphasising that certain features were introduced and added to make the station comparable to fire service stations nationally.
He stated: “We have gym, sick-bay, offices and state-of-the-art equipment that we will use to combat fire. Your Excellency, we have also, new fire trucks that you have acquired. Before now, we did not have any truck, and when incidents happen, we have to call the Federal Fire Service or call Agip or Shell Fire Service. But thank God that His Excellency, in his wisdom, has given us state-of-the-art facility, and we don’t need to call any other person again.”
In his address, Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Mr. Clifford Paul, said Governor Fubara has turned the once dilapidated fire service station and its equipment into a modern masterpiece, which represents a significant milestone in the collective commitment towards tackling fire incidences.
Mr Paul stated that it will certainly enhance the capacity of personnel and reinforce their preparedness to respond to emergencies in the event of fire outbreaks.
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eastern Zone has expressed deep concern over the current tense political situation in Rivers State, following the recent Supreme Court judgment nullifying the election of local government council chairmen.
In a press statement signed by the Chairman, IYC, Eastern Zone, Comrade Prince Datolu Sukubo; Secretary, Tamunokuro Dango and the Information Officer, Ambassador Odia Igbikis made available to The Tide yesterday, the group also stated that the decision has created an environment ripe for manipulation by those who do not have the best interest of Rivers State or the Ijaw Nation at heart.
“We are aware of alarming plans by certain elements to destabilise Rivers State and undermine the mandate given to our elected officials. The purported 48-hour ultimatum issued to the Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, by the defected Martins Amawhule-led House of Assembly to present the 2025 budget is a clear indication of an orchestrated effort to create chaos and potentially impeach the governor. This is not only an attack on our leadership but also an affront to the will of the Rivers people who have entrusted their governance to one of our own. The IYC firmly warns that they will not stand by and allow detractors to steal this mandate. We are committed to defending your rights and ensuring that the voices of the Ijaw people are heard and respected,” the statement said.
They also used the medium to call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Security Adviser to intervene immediately and halt the ongoing madness that threatens to plunge Rivers State into an avoidable crisis. Such instability could have severe repercussions, not only for our state’s governance but also for crude oil production and energy security, which are vital to the national economy. It is crucial that we work together to maintain peace and stability in Rivers State. We urge all stakeholders to prioritise dialogue and collaboration over conflict. Let us not allow the ambitions of a few to jeopardize the future of our state and its people which will further endanger the economy of this country, because any attempt to stop Rivers State Allocation which will cause hardships to innocent civil servants and also reduce the speedy developmental projects implementation by the Rivers State government will definitely have negative effect on the economy of this country, as Ijaw people we will not fold our hands and allow the continued political marginalisation of our own.”
Kiadum Edookor