Former Chairman of the Legal Aid Council, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, has urgently called for the decentralisation of the Nigerian Law School, criticizing the current system as outdated and ill-equipped to address the country’s growing demand for legal education.
At a recent legal stakeholders’ forum, Ayorinde expressed concern over the persistent backlog of law graduates unable to gain admission due to the limited number of Law School campuses across the nation. He warned that this constraint is hindering the advancement of legal education in Nigeria.
“It’s time to liberalise the Law School year,” Ayorinde stated, emphasizing that the existing number of campuses is insufficient. He proposed a reform model in which the Council of Legal Education (CLE) would retain its role in setting standards while accrediting licensed institutions to run professional training programs. This approach would involve lectures being held at various centres, with examinations and law dinners managed centrally by the CLE.
Ayorinde stressed that decentralisation would increase access for more law graduates, ease the pressure on existing facilities, and preserve the integrity of legal training. “The CLE will continue to grade and Call successful candidates to the Bar,” he assured.
Highlighting the injustice faced by law graduates caught in this bottleneck, Ayorinde declared that the backlog is an avoidable issue. “Liberalisation is a feasible solution, and it’s long overdue,” he added, urging the Federal Government, the CLE, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to work together to implement the proposed reforms without delay.
“Now is the time to act to preserve the integrity of our legal profession and secure the future of our young graduates,” Ayorinde concluded.
