The Bayelsa State Government has charged the Faculties of Law across Nigeria to raise the bar in the training of law students, stressing that only a commitment to high standards can restore dignity to the nation’s legal profession.
We gathered that the Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo gave the charge when the Acting Dean and senior officials of the Faculty of Law, Federal University Otuoke, visited him in Yenagoa on Wednesday.
He lamented that the once-honourable legal profession was gradually losing its prestige due to unethical behavior by some members of both the Bar and the Bench.
Ewhrudjakpo called for urgent reforms in the grooming of young lawyers, noting that many recent graduates lack the moral fibre and professional discipline the legal system demands.
According to him, “We have always had problems with the grooming of lawyers, and that is a very big issue.
So you must set the standard because if you do not set the standard now, you cannot set the standard in the future.”
He emphasized that beyond academic brilliance, character formation must become a central part of legal education. “We really need to take the issue of training and retraining of our law students very seriously.
Some of them may be good in learning but most of them are poor in character. So we must do something about that to save the judiciary from further embarrassment in this country,” he added.
The deputy governor further expressed concern that the quality of lawyers emerging from law schools does not reflect proper ethical practice, insisting that the foundation of legal training must be strengthened.
Ewhrudjakpo congratulated the Acting Dean, Dr. Michael Akatugba, on his appointment and commended the Federal University Otuoke for establishing the Faculty of Law to advance legal education in the Niger Delta region.
Responding to their requests, he assured that the state government would continue to support the university, particularly in research and academic development, noting that Bayelsa had played key roles in the institution’s growth since its founding in 2013.
Earlier, Dr. Akatugba appealed to the government to help rehabilitate the faculty’s deteriorating infrastructure, including water facilities and leaking roofs.
He revealed that about 80 percent of the students of the university are Bayelsa indigenes and urged the state to also assist in providing solar power for the e-library.
