Accreditation: Lead City varsity wins suit against Nuc
BY OLA AJAYI, IBADAN
A FEDERAL High Court in Ibadan has restrained the National Universities Commission, NUC from going back on its initial accreditation of Law programme of a private university, Lead City University, Ibadan.
One of the Law graduates of the institution, Mr. Segun Alli had instituted a suit against the NUC over the accreditation of the programme which has led to demonstration of students in the institution.
While delivering a ruling on the suit marked FHC/IB/CS/50/2009, Justice Jonathan Shakarho declared as unacceptable the claim of the NUC that the accreditation exercise it conducted in May 2008 was invalid because the Legal Council of Education was not represented at the accreditation exercise.
According to the trial judge, such claim was illegal and ultra-vires saying it ran contrary to Section 10 and 11 of Education Act 2005.
The judge went on saying that the claim of the NUC was also contrary to Sections 4 {i} {a], {ii] and {iii{ of the NUC Acts of 2004.
He then ruled that the NUC should within 60days, arrange and secure from the Council of Legal Education, a date and visit to re-assess the faculties of Lead City University to enable the graduates of law proceed to the Nigerian Law School this year, 2011.
He said, “the NUC is stopped or restrained from rescinding from the approval and recognition it had earlier accorded the law programme of the university.
The judge also added that body should issue the result of the accreditation exercise of May 2008, using only its stated yardstick as contained in paragraphs 2 {a], {b} and {c} of its letter of reference number NUC/LSS/ACCRED/Vol.1/03 of September 22, 2008.
In addition, the trial judge ordered NUC to include the Faculty of Law of the institution in the list of approved, legal and recognized faculties of law of Nigerian universities with effect from April 15, 2008.
“The NUC is hereby prohibited, restrained by itself, agents and privies from any act that will portray the Faculty of Law of Lead City University as illegal, unapproved and unrecognized”, he ordered.
