{"id":4805,"date":"2004-04-28T11:41:37","date_gmt":"2004-04-28T15:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2004\/04\/28\/dreaming-of-law-school-in-nig"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:58:50","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:58:50","slug":"dreaming-of-law-school-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2004\/04\/28\/dreaming-of-law-school-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"dreaming of law school in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Now they tell me!  Thirty years after my 1L days, I find out that the program at the Nigeria Law School is only one year long<\/EM>.   Chief Kayode Jegede, the head of the School says one year isn’t enough, but he’s probably in cahoots with the law professor union.  (Daily Times of <\/EM>Nigeria, “One year in law school inadequate for quality lawyers <\/A>– Jegede,” 04-27-04, via law.com NewsWire<\/A>)<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"#1 The Chief is obviously a worrywort, and a bit self-righteous:  For example, the Nigerian Times<\/EM> article notes that “Jegede decried the activities of some lawyers whom he accused of perpetrating fraud and shady deals.”   We have learned that less than a year ago Chief Jegede was bragging that the class of 2003 was “about the best, if not the best that have passed through the Law School.”  (Daily <\/EM>Trust, “Law school graduates ‘best set’<\/A>“, July 4, 2003)  Despite that:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“The former Justice of the Supreme Court called for the extension of the one-year law school programme to one and half or two years for future entrants of the law school which is 40 years this year, and has graduated over 40,000 lawyers since then.”<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Conspiracy buffs should note that Chief Jegede is about to launch the School’s first endowment fund drive.  As the Daily Times<\/EM> notes: “<\/EM>He said the law school lacked student hostels, student and staff buses, library, generators, and a lecture auditorium, among others, and solicited for support from well-meaning citizens and organisations for a N5 billion endownment fund.“<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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skepticalEsq <\/EM>endorses the contrary views of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ondo State, as set forth in a Nigerian Guardian <\/EM>article<\/A>:<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"black  He said extending the number of years of training at the school was not the solution.  <\/EM><\/FONT>“It is a waste of time<\/STRONG>. I do not subscribe to it. Even the best of lawyers in this country, how many years did they spend in the Law Schools? Some of them spent the first three months.” <\/EM>(“<\/FONT>NBA presidential candidates okay exams for Law School admission,” Aug. 7, 2002)<\/FONT>
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At the time of the remarks, Olanipekun was one of two candidates running for election to the presidency of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).   He won<\/A>.<\/FONT><\/P>
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\"#1\" Afterthought <\/EM><\/STRONG><\/FONT>(04-29-04)<\/FONT>: skepticalEsq <\/EM>(whose school is perennially #2<\/A>) <\/EM>has pointed out one<\/EM> additional benefit from attending the Nigeria Law School — coming in first in the annual Nigeria News&World Report<\/EM> law school rankings!  No more tiers.  No more tears.<\/FONT><\/P>
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