Edith CHUKU
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality legal education in the state.
Diri also assured that his administration would continue to strengthen state-owned institutions.
As part of measures to achieve these, Diri appealed to the Council of Legal Education to increase the admission quota into the Faculty of Law at the state-owned Niger Delta University NDU.
He made the appeal on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by an accreditation panel from the council led by the Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Odusote, to Government House, Yenagoa.
The governor said the request was in line with his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality legal education in the state and strengthening state-owned institutions.
He said: “We cannot but continue to support you and support the NDU and all of our state-owned institutions. But we also appeal that the Council of Legal Education increase the admission quota of law students to NDU from the current 80 to about 300.
“You will agree with me that this administration has made huge commitment to expanding access to quality legal education in the state as well as strengthening state-owned institutions.
“We have about three state-owned universities apart from other tertiary schools such as polytechnics and college of education. So, you can see the burden is so much on the state government. But we have no choice because that is the way to go.”
The Bayelsa helmsman expressed optimism that before the next visit of the panel, there would be improvement in facilities both at the Yenagoa campus of the Nigerian Law School and the NDU Faculty of Law.
He said his administration had made significant structural and instructional contributions to the law school and directed the Commissioners for Education and that of Works and Infrastructure to visit the campus to examine the DG’s appeal for government’s assistance to clear waterlogged areas and pits on the campus.
He promised to look into other requests she presented and assured the delegation that the government will continue to support the growth of the institution.
Earlier, the Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Odusote, commended the governor for his support to legal education, especially to the NDU Law faculty and the Nigerian Law School campus in Yenagoa.
The head of the accreditation panel said the visit was a routine quality assurance exercise by the council to law faculties across the country.
She explained that the visit was to also present an exit report to the governor at the end of the accreditation exercise.
According to Odusote, facilities at the NDU Faculty of Law were in good shape but require improvements to meet global standards.
She further urged the state government to increase investment in both human resources and infrastructure at the faculty, stressing that as a state-owned institution, more was expected from the state.
The DG said the full report of the panel’s findings would be submitted to the Council of Legal Education for further action.
She also appealed to the governor to provide solar-powered light at the law school campus as well as connect the institution to the state’s gas turbine power plant to reduce the cost of diesel for its generator plant.
Odusote equally requested for provision of permanent staff quarters, more office accommodation for the NDU Law lecturers as well as lecture halls, smart boards and enhancement of the faculty library to increase book collections.
