From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has frowned at the poor maintenance culture of the Nigeria Legal Education at the Port Harcourt Campus of the Nigerian Law School.
Wike expressed his dissatisfaction while delivering his keynote address at the 2023 Annual Summit of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Young Lawyers Forum in Port Harcourt on Friday, with the theme: ‘Breaking Barriers: Creating future leaders in Nigeria from the present and next generation of young lawyers’.
The former Rivers State governor, whose government initiated, built, furnished and equipped the Nigerian Law School, Port Harcourt Campus, said with the huge resources invested in the edifice, the present state of the school is condemnable.
He, however, expressed optimism that the future leaders of the country would emerge among them, stating that it was one of the reasons the Rivers State government under his administration took up the project and ensured its actualization.
He expressed: “Even though, I feel disappointed each time I pass through that school. And that is one thing I will continue to say; those of you who do have appointments today, the opportunity to criticize those that have appointments, the opportunity to criticize government, is when you do not do what you are supposed to do?
“But, when you are given an appointment to showcase that capacity you have, would you now have the capacity to do that which you were criticizing?
“I have told the DG (Director General) of Law School that I am highly disappointed. Look at the money that we spent in that Law School. Ordinary to cut the grass, they cannot. Money was made available to you to make sure that you don’t run to federal government to say you don’t have money to run the school.
“We (Rivers State government) went ahead and created ways for you to make money for the running and maintenance of the school. Go there (school) now and see what I am saying. Ordinary Law School, you can’t keep it well. When we have opportunity to criticize those in authority, but when we are there, we don’t do it.”
The Minister of Federal Capital Territory noted several challenges impeding the growth of young lawyers and urged government, prominent private legal practitioners and firms to encourage the forum for professional advancement and fulfilment.
Earlier, Chairman, NBA- Young Lawyers Forum, Port Harcourt Branch, Shedrack Enebeli, said as young lawyers, they need to harness the abundant potentials of the country and appealed for the platform to excel in the profession.
Enebeli said that members of the forum were willing to use their potentials to contribute to the development of legal profession and the nation.