Senate approves establishment of six new law schools across Nigeria

The Senate Tuesday approved the establishment of six new campuses of the Nigerian Law School across the six geo-political zones of the country.

This brings the total number to 13 plus Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), making it 14.

The approval of the additional law schools followed the consideration of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) led Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on the Legal Education Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi West).

Accordingly, the Jos Law School Campus, Plateau State and Kabba Law School Campus, Kogi State, will serve the North Central geo-political zone.

Yola Law School Campus, Adamawa State and Maiduguri Law School Campus, Borno State to serve the North East zone.

In the North West are the Kano Law School Campus, Kano State and Argungu Law School Campus, Kebbi State.

The South East has the Enugu Law School Campus and Okija Law School Campus, Anambra State.

The Senate equally okayed the Yenagoa Law School Campus, Bayelsa State; Port Harcourt Law School Campus, Rivers State and Orogun Law School Campus, Delta State, for the South South zone.

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In the South West, are the Lagos Law School Campus, Lagos State and Ilawe Law School Campus, Ekiti State.

The Bwari Law School Campus, Abuja, remains exclusively for the Federal Capital Territory.

In his presentation, Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Bamidele, explained that the creation of the six law schools was a legislative intervention to address the exponential increase in the number of law graduates from our universities and foreign ones, coupled with the backlog that existed over the years.

He said the existing campuses were overstretched while the infrastructures were not enough to accommodate thousands of law students graduating from the universities.

Bamidele, who observed that the United States of America, with a population of over 350 million people, has about 237 law school campuses, said some countries such as Canada and Australia, with far less population than Nigeria, have 24 and 38 law school campuses for a population of about 38 million and 26 million people, respectively.

He explained that the provision of additional campuses in the six geopolitical zones of the federation was appropriate, since it does not tamper with the seven existing campuses established by administrative responsibilities of the Council of Legal Education. Bamidele, therefore, advised the Federal Government to, as a matter of priority, provide adequate resources for the funding of the infrastructural needs of the law campuses across the country.