The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, intervened to stop the planned increase in school fees at the Nigerian Law School.
The Council of Legal Education had earlier approved a 60% fee hike for law graduates intending to enroll in the Nigeria Law School, raising the fees from ₦296,000 to ₦476,000 for the 2023/2024 Bar Part II academic session.
In response to this development, the House adopted a motion by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, which was read on his behalf by Ginger Owusibe.
Lawmakers directed its committees on Justice and Tertiary Education and Services to explore solutions to the issue and report back within two weeks.
Chinda highlighted the significance of the Nigerian Law School as the medium through which the Council of Legal Education regulates legal education, explaining the council's responsibility to determine tuition costs and other services.
He underscored Nigeria's current 27.33% inflation rate, as reported by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, and raised concerns about the lack of time given to prospective students to raise the increased fees for the ongoing academic session.
The lawmaker warned that the failure to balance the Council's service quality with students' affordability could lead to a significant decline in law school enrollment, ultimately contributing to a higher national unemployment rate among those unable to pursue legal careers.