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Why FG Should Scrap Law School – Ex-NERC Boss

Published

2 years ago

September 15, 2023

The Federal Government should scrap the Nigerian Law School because current reality has shown that the institution has outlived its usefulness, a lawyer and former Director-General of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi, advised on Friday.

He also suggested ways in which the legal profession should be saved from moral disaster.

According to him, the Nigerian Law School was established to provide practical knowledge for young lawyers but no longer serving its purpose.

Amadi, who is also the Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, made the recommendation at the 2023 endowment launch for the ‘IgbaBoyi’, an Igbo apprenticeship scheme, by Igbo lawyers under the umbrella of Otu Oka-Iwu Abuja.

Present at the event were a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi (SAN); Senator Ben Obi, who represented Anambra Central in the National Assembly, senior lawyers of Igbo extraction, among others.

While describing the Nigerian legal system as one of the most corrupt in the world, Amadi maintained that the law school is a waste of time and resources, adding that it should be scrapped.

He said, “So, I think that we need to rethink the whole framework of Nigeria. In my view, the law school is failing. It is no longer serving its purpose. The law school is designed to provide technical practical education. So the question I ask is: what are they providing? My view is, that purpose is best served at law firms.

“Many lawyers who go to law school do not practice. Some of them go into journalism, and broadcasting, or they go and teach in the University. So I would like us to strengthen the university education for lawyers in order for them to have a broad analytical competency.

“In the United States, when you finish your legal education in the university, you do a quick exam for call as lawyer. Here, we can license our universities to take three to six months of special rush courses for our law students to qualify to practice. After that, they go to the chambers where they learn real practice. The only way one can get pupillage is in a law firm.

“What is the law school providing for our young graduates? The law school is not rigorous, either academic or practical. So my view is, we must focus on universities to give robust academic training. Those who want to practice law should go and do some crash courses in the universities to get qualified as lawyers. Then they go to law firms or corporate places to learn corporate law or legal practice.

“Law as practiced is not taught in the law school. Stop the law school and the waste of resources. Accredit universities to do three to six months, just like they do in America. After graduating as a lawyer, you go and take classes and pass the instructions and get called to the bar. Then all the learning will happen at the law firms where senior lawyers now have obligation to train those young lawyers to understand the practice.”

The human rights lawyer also described as a welcome development the idea of replicating the Igbo apprenticeship model where young lawyers would be able to gain valuable internship experience at reputation law firms.

He said the model, now studied at Harvard is a unique way of knowledge transfer and is needed to save the law profession from moral disaster.

Amadi said, “The idea is that lawyers will seek knowledge from the established ones and also, the established lawyers will also be generous enough to support our young people, not just knowledge but in paying them. So what the Igbo lawyers are trying to do is to provide funding to encourage young people so that with the help of the senior lawyers, the junior ones will acquire not just knowledge, but also virtue.

“Today, the law and judiciary are the most corrupt parts of Nigerian society because everybody wants to make money. So I want to say that if we can restore pupillage and make it real and provide incentives for young people to go and learn, then we can save the law profession from a moral disaster. This is a totally disastrous state. The law professional is shameful and undignified because of the behavior of lawyers and judges.”

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), described the Igbo apprenticeship scheme as the best way to transfer skills, character and knowledge.

While declaring NBA’s support for the initiative, Maikyau assured that the scheme would be expanded to become a national mentorship policy of the Federal Government.

He, however, pleaded that the scheme should not be limited to only lawyers of Igbo extraction.

The NBA President said, “If you are the best of lawyers without character, there is no way that intellect is going to transfer or translate into value. So this is a mentorship model. Like I said, it is welcomed into our fold as lawyers, but please let us not limit it to the Igbos. We should extend it to others. We should take it to the north and west because this is something that is going to bring benefit to each and every one of us.”

News

IPF Holds Annual Ijaw Media Conference December

Published

12 hours ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

The Ijaw Publishers’ Forum has announced the second edition of its annual Ijaw Media Conference.

The conference themed “Safeguarding Oil and Gas Natural Resources for Future Generations in the Niger Delta” will take place on December 11, 2025, at KFT Place, beginning at 12 noon.

In a statement signed by the IPF National President, Comrade Ozobo Austin, the Forum noted that the conference is intended to strengthen public understanding of the dangers of oil theft, unchecked exploitation, and environmental pollution.

The statement highlighted the severe harm these practices inflict on the region, affecting both ecological systems and human communities and hindering long-term development.

The 2025 planning committee, chaired by Arex Akemotubo, has Tare Magbei as Secretary. The committee is charged with the responsibility of a successful programme.

Other members of the committee are:
Francis Abai, Financial Secretary while
Ezekiel Kagbala, Sunday Daniel; Mike Ugedi, Dr Kegbe, Sam Dogitimi,
Tam Okumbiri, serve as members.

The Forum urged leaders, stakeholders, and young people to work with relevant authorities and security groups to support continued public awareness efforts aimed at protecting the region’s natural resources and the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

The IPF also called for sponsorship and invites all stakeholders and the wider public to attend the conference on December 11, 2025

News

2027: Era Of ‘Ghost’ Voters Over, Says INEC Chairman

Published

18 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Editor

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has declared that identity theft and multiple voting, which have plagued Nigeria’s elections for decades, have been effectively eliminated following the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.

Amupitan made the declaration in Abuja at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, the INEC Chairman said BVAS had now become a decisive tool in protecting the integrity of votes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Represented by a National Commissioner, May Agbamuche Mbu, the INEC Chairman said the era of identity fraud in Nigeria’s elections is over, noting that BVAS has evolved into a foolproof verification mechanism at polling units across the country.

“The BVAS device has become our frontline defence against identity fraud, ensuring that only the rightful and eligible voter can be accredited at the polling unit..

“With the biometric safeguards now in place, voter impersonation has been effectively eliminated from our electoral system,” he stated.

He backed the claim with data from the recently concluded Anambra Governorship Election, where 6,879 BVAS devices deployed for the exercise recorded what he described as a highly commendable performance.

According to him, more than 99 percent of polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal on the same day as voting.

“These outcomes confirm that the deployment of BVAS and IReV is no longer experimental but an entrenched part of Nigeria’s electoral architecture. The figure announced at the polling units is the same figure visible to the public. Technology has safeguarded the vote,” he said.

Amupitan also stressed the importance of the legal backing now enjoyed by the Commission’s technological tools.

He explained that while earlier innovations lacked statutory enforcement, the Electoral Act 2022, particularly Section 47 subsection 2, transformed digital devices from administrative guidelines into what he described as statutorily protected pillars of the electoral system.

“This legislative foundation ensures that our digital tools have both operational and legal legitimacy. It has strengthened public trust and enabled the Commission to innovate with confidence,” he added.

Despite the progress, the INEC Chairman admitted that connectivity gaps remain a major challenge.

He said the country’s 176,846 polling units, many of which are located in swamps, mountains, and remote communities, make real-time transmission of results one of the most difficult tasks during elections.

He, however, ruled out any possibility of returning to manual accreditation, which he described as vulnerable to human interference and a threat to electoral credibility.

Amupitan maintained that the era of ghost voters in Nigeria is over, insisting that the Commission is committed to transparent, verifiable, and credible elections.

“The gains we have recorded are too significant to reverse. The Commission will continue to strengthen the system and upgrade to more seamless solutions in future elections,” he said.

“Our mission is simple. Every eligible voter must be accurately verified. Every vote must be properly counted. Every result must be transparently shared. Technology has helped us to secure these foundations of democracy.”

News

JUST IN: Wike, Govs Makinde, Bala Mohammed Clash At PDP Secretariat

Published

19 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Editor

Chaos erupted at Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday as rival factions, led by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on one side, and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike on the other, clashed over control of the party’s headquarters amid the ongoing leadership dispute.

According to ARISE, security operatives aligned with both the FCT minister and governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed engaged in a chaotic standoff over control of the complex, with teargas reportedly deployed around the premises by both sides.

Governor Makinde stormed the venue alongside the newly elected National Secretary, Taofeek Arapaja, while Nyesom Wike remained with Samuel Anyanwu, the embattled National Secretary who maintains that his tenure remains valid until December 8, 2025.

Party leaders have expressed deep concern over the incident, accusing the police of failing to maintain neutrality amid the ongoing leadership crisis within the opposition party.