The Nigerian senate has considered the newly built Port Harcourt campus of the Nigerian Law School as the best because it meets global standards and proposed to be changed to centre for continuous legal education.
Chairman, Senate committee on judiciary, human rights and legal matters, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who gave the assessment on Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, after an inspection, thus advocated that the Nabo Graham Douglas Port Harcourt campus should serve as the centre for the promotion of continuous legal education in the country.
Bamidele said the advocacy was part of the Senate committee’s advice to the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School because the Port Harcourt Law campus meets the global best standards required of such centre.
Members of the Senate committee were in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on oversight of the campus and were conducted around by Governor Nyesom Wike. They also inspected the brand-new Rivers State House of Assembly residential quarters that is nearing completion.
Bamidele said they were amazed at the quality of facilities that the Rivers State governor provided for the training of law graduates and preparing them for the challenges of the profession.
According to him, this is one of the happiest oversight visits they have paid in the life of their leadership of the Senate Committee.
“It’s a celebration of our democracy. It’s a celebration of leadership. It’s a celebration of an accomplishment. So, as part of our own advice, both to the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School is to even, based on the standard that has been set in the Port Harcourt Campus, ensure to reserve some of the rooms, dedicated to ensuring that our continuous legal education is taken very seriously using the Port Harcourt Campus as the base for this.”
Bamidele pointed out that Governor Wike has set global best standards and not only law students that would use the facility, but practicing lawyers alike who could undertake their CLA programme on the campus.
“Governor Wike, a PDP leader, a PDP governor from the Southern part of the country made an offer. It was tabled by the attorney-general of the federation, an APC man to President Buhari of APC and without wasting time, it was approved. And today, we have seen the implication of that,” Bamidele said.
The speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, said Wike’s decision to construct a new campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt was a sheer demonstration of his patriotism and commitment to the nation.
Speaking on the legislative quarters, the speaker said the conducive residential environment created by the governor for the state lawmakers would enhance their productivity.
On his part, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Onueze Okocha, said the completion of the Port Harcourt campus of the Nigerian Law School was another promise fulfilled by Governor Wike.