NBA President Sounds Alarm Over “Growing Crisis” in Nigeria’s Legal Education as Universities Flout Admission Quotas

…Slams Universities For Admitting Too Many Law Students

…Says “Over 10,000 Called To Bar In 3 Months”

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, SAN, has raised serious concerns over what he described as a mounting crisis in Nigeria’s legal education system, attributing the problem to the blatant disregard of admission quotas by several universities.

Speaking with journalists, Osigwe highlighted that numerous law faculties across the country are admitting students far beyond the limits set by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Council of Legal Education. 

According to him, this unchecked influx has created a significant overflow of graduates seeking admission into the Nigerian Law School, overwhelming the institution’s facilities and staff.

“Too many universities are running law programmes without regard for the quota system. The result is an endless backlog of graduates, and the Law School is under pressure to accommodate them,” Osigwe lamented.

The NBA president warned that the annual surge in Law School admissions has led to a sharp rise in the number of lawyers being called to the Bar, stretching the system to what he described as “its breaking point.” He urged stakeholders to implement reforms that would balance university intakes with the Law School’s limited capacity, cautioning against outright denial of access to aspiring legal practitioners.

Addressing recent controversies surrounding invitation cards for Call to Bar ceremonies, Osigwe explained that limiting each graduate to a single guest was a necessary measure. The Body of Benchers, he said, must consider space, safety, and crowd management due to the growing number of candidates.

At the July Call to Bar exercise, 5,728 graduates were admitted over three days, while another 4,429 joined the roll of barristers between September 23 and 25. Osigwe stressed that allowing two guests per graduate, as was done in previous years, would overwhelm the available facilities.

He acknowledged the inconvenience this measure may cause families wishing to attend in larger numbers but maintained that it was unavoidable. “The hall has a limited capacity, and safety must remain a priority,” he said.

The Call to Bar ceremony, a statutory event conducted by the Body of Benchers, formally admits graduates of the Nigerian Law School as legal practitioners, marking a pivotal milestone in the professional journey of every lawyer in Nigeria.