More than 4,000 graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Law programme have renewed their demand for immediate admission into the Nigerian Law School, warning that they will embark on nationwide peaceful protests if authorities fail to resolve the lingering impasse.
The affected graduates, under the umbrella of the Backlog of NOUN Law Graduates, staged a peaceful procession to the National Assembly in Abuja on Monday, protesting what they described as years of unjust exclusion from the mandatory professional legal training programme.
Graduates Decry Years of Exclusion
Addressing journalists, the National President of the association, Adefowora Adedeji, said qualified graduates from 2019 to 2024 had remained stranded despite completing accredited law programmes and meeting all academic requirements.
He lamented that the prolonged delay had subjected many graduates to financial hardship, emotional trauma and career stagnation.
According to him, the NOUN Law programme is fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), while previous batches of NOUN graduates had been admitted into the Nigerian Law School under special arrangements.
Adedeji argued that the continued refusal to admit the backlog of graduates violates constitutional provisions guaranteeing dignity, fair hearing and freedom from discrimination.
Appeal to Tinubu, Legal Education Authorities
The group called on President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Council of Legal Education and the management of the Nigerian Law School to urgently intervene and ensure that all qualified NOUN Law graduates are admitted into the 2026/2027 academic session.
“We have exhausted dialogue and administrative processes. We have submitted almost 50 petitions to relevant authorities. What we want now is a definite timeline for resolving this issue,” Adedeji said.
He warned that failure to act would compel members to stage peaceful demonstrations across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Graduates Blame Institutional Disagreement
Adedeji alleged that the impasse resulted from disagreements between the National Open University of Nigeria and the Council of Legal Education, insisting that innocent graduates were paying the price.
“It is not because our certificates have any defect. Government institutions are having conflicts, and we are the victims,” he stated.
He further claimed that some affected graduates had suffered serious health challenges, while others had died after years of waiting without gaining admission into the Nigerian Law School.
Long-Running Dispute
The dispute over the admission of NOUN Law graduates has persisted for nearly a decade.
Although the Council of Legal Education has consistently maintained that admission into the Nigerian Law School is guided by the Legal Education Act and accreditation requirements, it previously approved a special remedial programme that enabled an earlier batch of NOUN graduates to proceed to Bar training under specified conditions.
The protesting graduates are urging the Federal Government to extend similar opportunities to the remaining backlog and bring an end to years of uncertainty over their legal careers.
Tags: NOUN, Nigerian Law School, Legal Education, Education Nigeria
