The House of Representatives Committee on Justice has insisted that all Nigerian law graduates who attended and passed their examinations at the Nigeria Law School in any part of the federation should be called to the Bar without delay.
The House Committee has also assured that it will approve adequate budgetary provisions for the installation of Close Circuit Cameras CCTV in all the law schools in the country to minimize examination malpractices by students.
Chairman of the House Committee, Hon.Olumide Osoba, gave the hint at an interactive session between the House Committee and the Director-general Nigeria Law School and other management staff of the institution on Thursday at the National Assembly.
The Committee helmsman said that the law school authorities should set in motion the necessary machinery to ensure that all qualified law graduates are immediately called to the bar.
The House had on Thursday, March 27, 2025, deliberated on a motion titled ‘Need to Address the Withholding of Bar Results and Backlog of Students Awaiting Call to the Bar’ and resolved to mandate the Committee on Justice, and Legislative Compliance to investigate it.
On resolutions, the green chamber, among other resolved to persuade the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School to immediately release all outstanding Bar results because the delays in this process are unacceptable and contribute to the unnecessary suffering among aspiring lawyers and their families.
The House is further to encourage the Council of Legal Education to streamline the Call to Bar process by establishing a clear and efficient process for calling students to the Bar in order to prioritize those who have already completed their education and are ready to contribute to the legal system.
The lawmakers also urge the law school authorities to endeavour to create a support program for those affected by these delays, including mental health resources and counseling services, because th psychological toll of this uncertainty cannot be understated
The House further urged the law school authorities to ensure that bodies responsible for the administration of Bar examination are held accountable for their actions in order to ensure transparency.
Reacting to these queries, the Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, Prof. Isa Hanatu Chiroma said that the school had been consistent in the admission of qualified law graduates for the bar qualifying examinations, adding that only those who failed had been left out.
He said that only those who said that the Nigerian Law School fail them are only those failed their bar examinations
He further stated that there are 101 universities offering law courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of education, adding that they are assessed and accredited by the National Universities Commission NUC.
He also said that the call to the bar is not a responsibility of the Council for Legal Education but rather it is the Body of Benchers’ duty.
The referral to the House Committee on the matter is contained in a letter addressed to the House Committee Chairman on Justice, Hon. Olumide Osoba, by the Clerk to the House, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria dated Wednesday, March 7, 2025.
