The Nigerian Law School (NLS) is struggling with inadequate facilities, causing a severe admission backlog for law graduates.
Every year, thousands of qualified graduates fail to secure admission at the NLS due to limited campus capacity. The Legal Education Act of 2004 mandates that the Council of Legal Education provides vocational training at the NLS for law graduates to qualify for the Bar. However, many accredited law graduates face a two- to four-year delay in admission.
The NLS offers practical training and issues qualifying certificates after candidates pass the Bar exams. Yet, the school’s facilities cannot accommodate all the graduates. An investigative report found that, since 2017, the NLS consistently failed to meet demand. The seven existing campuses accept fewer than 10,000 students, while Nigeria produces over 7,800 law graduates annually. As a result, roughly 1,305 candidates remain unadmitted each year.
The limited facilities at NLS force many aspirants to repeat the law school. This repeat cycle increases the failure rate and further strains the system. The ongoing issue raises concerns over the quality of legal education and the professional preparedness of future lawyers. Stakeholders argue that the government must expand the number of NLS campuses. The Senate recently approved plans for seven additional campuses in major cities like Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Yenagoa, Yola, Port Harcourt, and Kano.
Some universities have called for mid-semester admissions to reduce the backlog. However, this option only applies to universities that meet the approved admission quotas. The persistent strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the situation.
Efforts to resolve the crisis remain ongoing. Legal experts and university officials urge policymakers to prioritize expanding the facilities at NLS. They argue that improving infrastructure will boost the quality of legal training and help Nigeria produce more competent legal practitioners. The government must act now to ensure timely and fair admission for all law graduates and safeguard the future of Nigeria’s legal profession.
