On Wednesday, the House of Representatives expressed grave concern over the astronomical increase in Nigerian Law School tuition fees amid an economic downturn.
The resolution was passed following the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who called for the House’s intervention.
In his lead debate, Hon. Chinda observed that the Nigerian Law School is the medium through which the Council of Legal Education discharges its function to regulate the legal education of individuals seeking to become members of the legal profession, as provided for under Section 1(2) of the Legal Education (Consolidation, etc.) Act Cap. L10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“The House also notes that the function of the Council of Legal Education to oversee legal education in Nigeria includes deciding the cost of tuition and other services rendered to students of the Nigerian Law School.
“The House is aware that Nigeria is currently facing a 27.33% inflation rate, as reported by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, which is projected by Trade Economics to rise to 30.00% by December 2023.
“The House is concerned that, in exercising its functions, the Council of Legal Education has approved a 60% increase in Nigerian law school fees from N296,000 to N476,000 for the 2023/2024 Bar Part II academic session.
“The House is also aware that the 2023-2024 Bar Part II Academic session commenced in January 2024 with no time given to prospective students to raise the balance.
“The House is cognizant that unless immediate steps are taken to strike a balance between the Council’s need to provide quality services and the prospective students’ ability to afford an increment, the country will see a high decrease in the number of Nigerian law school students, resulting in a decrease in the number of lawyers in the next Call to Bar Ceremony. This could lead to a higher national unemployment rate, as those unable to attend law school cannot work as legal practitioners,” he noted.
Worried by the development, the House urged the Council of Legal Education to put the Nigerian Law School fee increment in abeyance.
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To this end, the House mandated its Committee on Tertiary Education and Services to explore solutions to the issue at hand and report back within two weeks for further legislative action, as time is of the essence.