12th April, 2017
The Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) has said that it would assist the Federal Government in solving the security challenges confronting the nation.
Prof. Godwin Okeke, NALT National President, said this on Tuesday after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Okeke, who is the Dean, Faculty of Law at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said the association would use its 2017 Annual Conference in June to address the challenges of security and national development.
He said NALT would give expert opinions on how the nation would move forward in spite of the security challenges and still sustain the accomplished developmental strides.
“We want to bring in our expertise, as Law teachers, in trying to find solutions to the problems of security that have besieged the nation over some years or a period of time now.
“We want to actually use the forum or medium to brainstorm on ways of ensuring that lives and property are secured in Nigeria.
“And also that we are going to really have a sustainable kind of security policy as far as Nigeria and the administration of the nation is concerned.’’
Okeke acknowledged that the legal profession was also facing some challenges such as funding and dearth of law teachers.
“Sincerely speaking, funding is one and again we also have the need of expanding our staff strength.
“We need funding for research. We need the assistance of the government in making sure that the legal education really thrives in the nation.
“Another challenge has to do with ensuring that standard is maintained because it is what we give out to the public, the nation, the society that is reflected,’’ he said.
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On the allegations of corruption and sharp practices levelled against the legal profession, Okeke said that the organization would continue to maintain best practice in the profession.
“We have a system whereby if you are involved in any exam misconduct for instance that you are not going to be called to the Nigerian bar.
“In fact you are going to be suspended; the university has to actually apply their punitive measures.
“And after that, the Law School comes in, takes off from there and makes sure that the identifiable bad eggs find it difficult to come into the profession.
“That is one of the ways of ensuring that we maintain a very enviable standard in the legal profession.
He explained that standard had to do with making sure that the ethics of the profession were maintained and sustained.
“We have challenges quite alright in relation to people misbehaving or trying to penetrate the legal profession, people who ought not to, who lack the credibility trying to come in.
“We ensure that those ones are fished out and kept aside,’’ the don added.