NEWS
NYSC–Law School Timeline Sparks Legal Storm as Petition Questions Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu’s Call to Bar Enrolment Records and National Service Compliance
A fresh and weighty legal controversy has erupted around the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, following a formal petition challenging the legality of his enrolment as a legal practitioner and raising concerns over the authenticity of his participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The petition, which has begun to generate intense debate within legal and political circles, was reportedly filed by a former First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, before the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC). At the heart of the petition are allegations described as fraudulent enrolment on the Roll of Legal Practitioners maintained at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Central to the controversy is an alleged timeline conflict between Kalu’s NYSC service year and his attendance at the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus.
According to the petitioner, Kalu was mobilised for NYSC service from March 9, 2010 to March 8, 2011.
However, records cited in the petition indicate that he attended the Nigerian Law School between April 23, 2010 and July 1, 2011, a period said to substantially overlap with the one-year national service.
The petitioner argues that such dual participation would contravene Section 2(3) of the NYSC Act, which mandates a continuous one-year national service. He maintains that it is statutorily impossible for a corps member to lawfully undertake full-time academic training during the subsistence of the service year.
The petition further references what is described as a strict policy of the Nigerian Law School and the Council of Legal Education prohibiting students from serving in the NYSC during their period of study.
In an affidavit reportedly deposed before the LPDC, the petitioner alleges that Kalu, who enrolled at the Law School under the name Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu before subsequent changes of name, made a formal declaration on April 23, 2010 affirming that he was not and would not engage in employment or serve in the NYSC during his course of study.
However, documentary evidence attached to the petition, including NYSC Certificate of National Service No. A001773067 allegedly issued on March 8, 2011, is said to indicate continuous participation in the scheme within the same timeframe.
The petitioner contends that this development raises fundamental questions as to whether the Deputy Speaker satisfied the mandatory 70 percent attendance requirement at the Nigerian Law School, a prerequisite for certification by the Council of Legal Education and subsequent Call to Bar.
Kalu was called to the Nigerian Bar on September 6, 2011, and enrolled at the Supreme Court with enrolment number SCN/078630.
The petition invokes several provisions of the NYSC Act, including Sections 13(1)(b), 13(3), and 13(4), which prescribe penalties for failure to serve continuously, aiding contraventions, or making false statements in connection with the scheme.
Under Section 11(1)(c) of the Legal Practitioners Act, the LPDC is empowered to discipline any legal practitioner found guilty of infamous conduct in a professional respect.
Beyond the LPDC petition, Aikpokpo-Martins has reportedly written to the Director-General of the NYSC, urging the withdrawal of the alleged Certificate of National Service and calling for prosecution if breaches are established.
He further disclosed plans to apply for subpoenas compelling the production of official records from both the NYSC and the Nigerian Law School, including call-up letters, attendance registers, allowance payment records, and discharge documentation.
The petitioner insists that the matter transcends politics and strikes at the core of professional ethics and institutional integrity. He maintains that the exalted position currently occupied by the Deputy Speaker must reflect the highest standards of integrity, transparency and adherence to the law.
Senior lawyers who weighed in on the development emphasised that the LPDC possesses jurisdiction to investigate allegations of professional misconduct, including fraudulent enrolment, where properly substantiated. However, they cautioned that the claims remain allegations pending formal inquiry and evidentiary scrutiny.
As of press time, there has been no official response from Benjamin Okezie Kalu regarding the petitions. Neither the NYSC nor the LPDC has publicly confirmed whether investigations have commenced.
The unfolding controversy has once again placed the spotlight on statutory compliance, professional standards, and the heightened expectations of integrity demanded of holders of high public office in Nigeria.