More than 4,000 law graduates from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, seeking urgent intervention over their exclusion from the 2025/2026 Nigerian Law School Bar Part II vocational training admission exercise.
In the petition signed by the group’s president, Mr. Adefowora Adedeji, and secretary-general, Mr. Samuel Udofia, the graduates decried what they described as “discrimination” against over 4,150 qualified NOUN law graduates, who have been denied the right to apply for the programme, despite being recognised under the National Open University of Nigeria (Amendment) Act, 2018.
The petitioners recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the amendment into law, paving the way for NOUN graduates to be admitted into the Nigerian Law School for the first time.
They argued that the current exclusion violates Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom from discrimination and equal rights for all citizens.
According to the graduates, many of them have been waiting for more than five years to proceed to Bar Part II, with some already advanced in age, while others have died without fulfilling their aspirations.
They emphasised that denying them admission, while graduates of other Nigerian universities are accommodated, amounts to “a national crisis.”
The petitioners proposed that at least 600 NOUN law graduates be distributed across the seven campuses of the Nigerian Law School as a practical solution to the backlog.
They noted that earlier sets of NOUN graduates admitted into the Law School had performed commendably, proving their competence and capacity for professional legal training.
The graduates urged the Attorney General to impress upon the Council for Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School the urgent need to resolve the matter in the interest of fairness, justice, and national development.
The statement read, “We, the undersigned, wish to express our profound gratitude for the support we received from the presidency, under president Muhammadu Buhari, who signed National Open University of Nigeria (Amendment) Act, 2018 (Act No.6 of 2018), into law which resulted in the admission of the first set of law graduates from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) into the Nigerian Law School.
“We bring to your kind attention, Your Excellency, our rights to equal legal education have been jeopardised in the just-released Nigeria Law School 2025/2026 bar part II vocational training admission exercise, which excluded the Noun law graduates from applying for the professional program of being trained in the law school as barristers and solicitors of Nigeria this year.
“This has become a national crisis. Law graduates from other Nigerian universities are given the right of admission to the Nigerian Law School, while excluding us. This is against the constitutional principles of equality, fairness, and justice.
“We have equal rights to legal education like other Nigerian university law graduates. It is against our right enshrined in section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). This is a pure state of discrimination!
“However, it is pertinent to inform you, sir, that we are over 4,150 NOUN law graduates currently still awaiting admission into Bar Part II , Nigeria Law School. Many among us have waited an average of more than five years, while many have sadly passed away, and the majority of us are now advanced in age.”
“In light of this situation, we earnestly seek your intervention to impress upon the Council for Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School the urgent need to address our matter. Specifically, we are requesting an immediate admission action plan that will accommodate these over 4,000 graduates into Bar Part II within the shortest possible time,” the statement said.
They noted that their “request for direct admission into Bar Part II is firmly grounded in the relevant laws and the following reasons: The Act establishing the National Open University of Nigeria (2018 as amended) has removed any existing lacuna regarding our eligibility.
“Provisions under the Legal Education (Consolidated, etc.) Act (Cap. L10, Laws of the Federation, 2004), which established the Council for Legal Education, stipulates that law graduates (LLB) from Nigerian universities are eligible for such admission.”
“Denying us the same opportunity granted to our seniors will amount to discrimination and an infringement on our fundamental rights under Section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” the statement said.
“Lastly, the commendable performance of the first NOUN law graduates admitted into the Nigerian Law School—who have distinguished themselves academically and in character—stands as clear evidence of our readiness and capacity,” it added.
