Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has appealed to the Council of Legal Education to increase the admission quota for law students at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, from 80 to 300.
Diri made the appeal on Tuesday when an accreditation panel from the Council of Legal Education, led by the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Odusote, paid a courtesy visit to the Government House in Yenagoa.
The governor said the request was in line with his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality legal education and strengthening state-owned institutions.
“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,” Diri said.
He noted that the state has about three government-owned universities, in addition to other tertiary institutions, including polytechnics and a college of education.
“You will agree with me that this administration has made a huge commitment to expanding access to quality legal education in the state as well as strengthening state-owned institutions,” he added.
The governor expressed optimism that there would be improvements in facilities at both the Yenagoa campus of the Nigerian Law School and the NDU Faculty of Law before the accreditation panel’s next visit.
Diri said his administration had made significant structural and instructional contributions to legal education institutions in the state.
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He subsequently directed the Commissioners for Education and Works and Infrastructure to visit the Nigerian Law School campus to assess a request by the Director-General for government assistance in addressing waterlogged areas and open pits on the premises.
The governor also promised to consider other requests presented by the delegation and assured the panel of his administration’s continued support for the development of legal education in the state.
Earlier, Odusote commended Governor Diri for his support for legal education, particularly the Faculty of Law at NDU and the Nigerian Law School campus in Yenagoa.
She explained that the visit was part of the Council of Legal Education’s routine quality assurance exercise for law faculties across the country.
According to her, the panel also used the visit to present its exit report to the governor at the end of the accreditation exercise.
Odusote said facilities at the NDU Faculty of Law were in good condition but required further improvements to meet global standards.
She urged the state government to increase its investment in human resources and infrastructure at the faculty, stressing that more was expected from the government as the institution’s owner.
She added that the panel’s full report would be submitted to the Council of Legal Education for further consideration and action.
The Director-General also appealed to the state government to provide solar-powered electricity at the Nigerian Law School campus and connect the institution to the state’s gas turbine power plant to reduce the cost of diesel used to power its generators.
Other requests included permanent staff quarters, additional office accommodation for NDU law lecturers, more lecture halls, smart boards and an expansion of the faculty library’s book collection.
