The aggrieved graduates, under the aegis of the Backlog of NOUN Law Graduates, staged a peaceful procession to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in Abuja on Wednesday, calling on the Federal Government to intervene in what they described as years of injustice.
The protest came two days after the group held a similar peaceful procession to the National Assembly in Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of the group, its National President, Adefowora Adedeji, said the prolonged refusal to admit eligible NOUN law graduates into the Nigerian Law School had subjected thousands of graduates to financial hardship, emotional trauma and career stagnation.
According to him, although the National Universities Commission (NUC) accredited the NOUN Law programme and earlier batches of graduates were admitted into the Nigerian Law School through a special arrangement, over 4,000 graduates from subsequent sets have remained shut out of the professional training required to qualify as lawyers.
Adedeji argued that the continued exclusion violates constitutional guarantees of human dignity, fair hearing and freedom from discrimination.
“Our position is firmly anchored on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the statutory framework governing the National Open University of Nigeria,” he said.
He maintained that the 2018 amendment to the National Open University Act resolved previous legal concerns surrounding the institution’s law programme, insisting there was no legal basis for the continued denial of admission.
The protesters urged the Council of Legal Education, the management of the Nigerian Law School, the Federal Ministry of Education, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and President Bola Tinubu to ensure that all backlog graduates are admitted into the 2026/2027 Nigerian Law School session.
“We earnestly urge the relevant authorities to ensure that the 2026/2027 academic session does not leave us and the remaining backlog of qualified NOUN law graduates behind,” Adedeji said.
The appeal comes as successful candidates who completed the Nigerian Law School programme are being called to the Nigerian Bar during the ongoing 2026 Call to Bar ceremonies in Abuja.
Adedeji disclosed that the association had exhausted administrative channels after submitting nearly 50 petitions to the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Education, the NUC, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Body of Benchers and other government institutions without securing a resolution.
“We have exhausted dialogue and administrative processes. What we want now is a definite timeline for resolving this issue,” he said.
He warned that if the authorities failed to act, the group would intensify its peaceful protests across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Adedeji alleged that the prolonged impasse stemmed from disagreements between the National Open University of Nigeria and the Council of Legal Education, while innocent graduates continued to bear the consequences.
“It is not because our certificates have any defect. Government institutions are having conflicts and we are the victims,” he alleged.
He also accused the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Emeka Ngege (SAN), of refusing to admit more than 4,000 qualified NOUN law graduates from the 2019 to 2024 sets.
According to him, some affected graduates have developed health complications as a result of the prolonged uncertainty. He claimed that the association’s treasurer died after developing hypertension linked to the unresolved situation.
The dispute over the admission of NOUN law graduates into the Nigerian Law School has persisted for years.
In 2016, the House of Representatives directed its relevant committees to investigate complaints over the exclusion of NOUN law graduates from the Nigerian Law School.
Although the Council of Legal Education has consistently maintained that admission is governed by the Legal Education Act and accreditation requirements, it previously approved a special remedial programme that enabled an earlier batch of NOUN graduates to proceed to Bar training under specified conditions.
Despite that intervention, thousands of NOUN law graduates say they remain excluded from the programme, leaving their legal careers in limbo.
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