Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr Olugbemisola Odusote, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association to support stronger enforcement against universities that admit law students beyond quotas approved by the Council of Legal Education.
Odusote said over-admission by universities was a major reason some law graduates are unable to secure immediate placement at the Nigerian Law School despite successfully completing their LL.B programmes.
She made the remarks in her statutory report presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association in Port Harcourt.
According to the Director-General, both public and private universities have exceeded admission quotas fixed by the Council of Legal Education, creating a backlog that eventually becomes visible when graduates seek admission into the vocational training programme required before call to the Nigerian Bar.
Odusote rejected suggestions that the Nigerian Law School itself was responsible for the admission difficulties faced by affected graduates.
She instead called on the NBA and other stakeholders to support enforcement of approved quotas and accountability for institutions that disregard them.
The issue is particularly significant because prospective law students may spend several years completing university programmes without being fully aware that their institution has exceeded the number of students approved for progression to the Law School.
That creates questions extending beyond institutional regulation to consumer protection, transparency and responsibility towards students.
Odusote also defended the continued relevance of the Nigerian Law School against calls for its abolition, saying the institution remains central to professional legal education and vocational preparation.
Her report disclosed that 1,995 candidates sat for the May 2026 Bar Final Examination resit.
Of that number, 883 candidates, representing 45.3 per cent, passed, while 55 recorded conditional passes and 983 failed. Thirty-two candidates were absent.
She further disclosed that 7,601 candidates participated in the December 2025 Bar Final Examination, with 6,010 successful candidates.
For the NBA, the latest appeal presents a significant professional-policy question: whether the Association should become more directly involved in ensuring that universities comply with rules governing legal education before students reach the Nigerian Law School.
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SOURCE:
TVC News
