The Legal Education Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for increased funding for legal education in Nigeria in order to enhance the development of practice-ready lawyers that can contribute meaningfully to the social and economic development of the nation.
These recommendations were made at the inaugural Regional Townhall Workshop on Legal Education held at the Imo State University, Owerri (IMSU).
It will be recalled that as part of NBA’s efforts to enhance legal education and practice in Nigeria, its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), inaugurated the Legal Education Committee (NBA-LEC) under the leadership of Professor Damilola Sunday Olawuyi (SAN), Deputy Vice Chancellor at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), with the mandate to promote and advance functional legal education in Nigeria, especially through training sessions and conferences on modern teaching approaches.
The workshop recorded a huge turnout of about more than 300 attendees and key stakeholders including the host of the event, the Vice Chancellor of IMSU, Prof. Uchefula Ugonna Chukwumaeze, SAN, Chairman of the NBA-LEC Regional Townhall Workshop Series, Prof. Chimezie Kingsley Okorie SAN, law teachers and students across universities in the Southeast attended.
According to him, “there is also an urgent need to increase investment in learning infrastructure across our law faculties if we are to actively deploy technology-based teaching methods. Only few law faculties have functional ICT centres, modern teaching equipments, digital tools and libraries needed to instill contemporary entrepreneurial, technology and project management skills in law students. Government or the NBA alone cannot provide all the tools. We all can do something about this by giving back to our law faculties.”
