Former Chairman of the Legal Aid Council, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde SAN, has made a compelling call for the urgent liberalisation of the Nigerian Law School system.
According to Ayorinde, the current situation regarding access to legal training in the country has become dire and requires immediate intervention by relevant authorities.
Speaking during a legal stakeholders’ forum, Ayorinde decried the persistent backlog of law graduates who are unable to gain admission into the Nigerian Law School due to the limited number of campuses across the country.
He described the existing system as no longer fit for purpose, warning that the bottleneck has become a major impediment to the progress of legal education in Nigeria.
“It is time to liberalise the Law School year. The limited number of campuses in Nigeria is no longer fit for purpose. The Council of Legal Education (CLE) should be strengthened to rise up to the challenge”Ayorinde said.
He proposed a reform structure in which the CLE will continue to set and regulate standards while licensed institutions would be allowed to run accredited lecture centres for the one-year professional training programme.
He emphasised that such a structure would decentralise training, create opportunities for more graduates, and reduce pressure on the current system.
Under this model, while lectures would take place at various approved centres, examinations and the traditional law dinners would be centrally coordinated by the CLE on specific days at designated centres.
Ayorinde stressed that this model would maintain the integrity and uniformity of the training process.
He noted that this approach would not only improve access but also ensure that the standards of legal training remain high.
“The Council of Legal Education will still grade and Call successful candidates to the Bar,” he stated, adding that professional excellence will be preserved.
According to Ayorinde, such liberalisation would go a long way in resolving what he termed the “unpleasant incidents of backlogs” that have plagued the system in recent years.
He pointed out that it is unjust for law graduates, after years of academic effort, to be left in limbo due to structural constraints.
“The unpleasant incidents of backlogs will be solved through liberalisation,” he declared.
“It is an achievable reform, and it is long overdue. We must not continue to allow the dreams of young law graduates to be delayed or denied.”
Ayorinde concluded his remarks by calling on the Federal Government, the CLE, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to work collaboratively in implementing the liberalisation policy.
“Now is the time,” he said. “We must act with urgency to preserve the integrity of our legal profession and ensure the future of our young graduates.”
