Students in Nigeria under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have given Atiba University, Oyo State, seven days to resolve the crisis surrounding the Law program of the institution and give a clear pathway for affected students and graduates to proceed to the Nigerian Law School.
The NANS, in a statement signed by its president, Babatunde Afeez Akinteye, said it had received complaints from students and alumni of the university’s Law program over some outstanding regulatory issues purportedly hindering their progression to the Nigerian Law School.
The group said the students include those who began their studies in 2020, fulfilled their academic prerequisites and sat for exams after paying huge tuition and other costs.
Affected students had hoped to go to the Nigerian Law School after completing their degree program but had been put in suspense over regulatory issues with the Council of Legal Education (CLE), NANS claimed.
The students’ group said the situation was “deeply disturbing” and students should not have to suffer from regulatory difficulties they had no control over.
It also raised concerns about claims that the university continued to admit students and collect tuition for the Law program despite being aware of restrictions to its regulatory status.
NANS said the claim, if proved, raises major problems of responsibility and called for a full response from the university management.
The group also blasted what it termed the apparent lack of urgency in dealing with concerns from affected pupils.
It stated that successive student appeals had apparently not provided a clear resolution, appropriate information, or a viable roadmap for individuals affected to complete their professional journey.
“Students are not products. “You cannot be indifferent to their education, years of sacrifice and financial investments, NANS said.
It held that a university that admitted students to a professional program was under an obligation to ensure that the program was properly governed and that the students were not abandoned half way through their academic journey.
NANS said Atiba University was to within seven days settle unresolved concerns relating to the Law program and proffer a genuine way forward for impacted students and graduates who had met the necessary academic standards to go to the Nigerian Law School. Geographic Reference Point
The group also called for full disclosure and verifiable records of students enrolled into the program including the periods of admission, particularly those admitted when the university was believed to be aware of regulatory constraints.
The university was further required to submit a written account of the Law programme’s regulatory status, including applicable approvals, correspondences and discussions with the Council of Legal Education.
NANS further requested for a transparent record of the academic and financial commitments of impacted students including fees paid and academic status of those that have finished their examinations but are unable to progress.
The group urged for a direct interaction between the university management, the affected students and NANS for an immediate settlement of the situation.
NANS stated it would not stand by and let students who have spent years seeking their education linger in limbo over situations they did not cause or control.
The association claimed the failure of the university to meet the requests within the required seven days would oblige its national leadership to shift its secretariat to Atiba University and remain there until the demands were satisfactorily met.
Reacting, the university spokesperson, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Kolawole, said the institution was working to resolve the matter.
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