Hundreds of Nigerian students, drawn from different institutions, took to the streets ,in solidarity with the cause of the Legal Education Rights Agenda(LERA) of rescuing the legal education in demanding among other things, basically the increase in the budgetary allocation accorded to education sector as well as the scrap of the obnoxious #220,000 fee regime that is imposed on law graduates year in year out. The Legal Education Rights Agenda as a platform of Nigerian law students has been campaigning against the reckless commercialization and privatization of the Nigerian Law School in particular and the entire legal education in general. The platform, in conjunction with other genuine mass-based students’ rights organization as also been at the forefront of the demand for the upward review of the meager 7.2 percent budgetary allocation given to the education sector in the 2009 budget.
It has equally designated June 16,the day students of Black Soweto went to the streets to reject the imposition of white curriculum to equally take its anger to the streets of Nigeria over the worsening state of legal education in Nigeria. Based on the nationwide protests, the mass of Nigerian students as well as generality of law students has given a definite NO to the debased fee regime.
From all indications ,the end to the arrant commercialization of legal education is in sight as the Council of Legal Education would face the anger of the burgeoning strength of Nigerian students, mass of law students inclusive if it decides to continue in the maddening hike of fees in the Nigerian law school. On the basis of this, we make further the following demands:
Immediate cancellation of the exorbitant fees into the Nigerian Law School.
End to the commercialization and privatization of education at all levels.
Full funding of the Nigerian Law School by the Nigerian government and all forms of legal education by governments across all levels.
Immediate increase of the budgetary allocation to education from the paltry 7.2 percent to 26 percent as prescribed by UNESCO.
Alexander S.(Coordinator) Castro(Mobiliser)
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