Over 4,000 law graduates from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation, demanding to be admitted into the Nigerian Law School, following years of exclusion by the Council for Legal Education (CLE).
The petitioners claim their exclusion is unfair, noting that their law degrees are fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), just like those from regular universities. They argue that the denial persists despite legislative amendments to the NOUN Act aimed at granting these graduates the same rights, including entry into Law School.
They highlighted that many of them have fulfilled all academic requirements and have been ready for vocational training to be called to the bar. The graduates are calling on the AGF to enforce CLE compliance and ensure equal treatment under the law.
The exclusion has raised widespread concern among legal and educational stakeholders over access to justice, fairness in legal education, and the professional futures of thousands of law graduates from distance learning programmes.
