Continues from last week

Significant changes have occurred in subject content, teaching methods, class sizes and student participation frameworks.[15]

But the issue of morals and character is beginning to threaten these achievements this naturally takes us to the issues of Ethics and Morals later in this lecture.

3.1 Controlling Organs of the Legal Profession

The principal organs which control and regulate the legal profession are the Council of Legal Education, the Nigerian Bar Association, the General Council of the Bar, the Body of benchers, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Committee and the Legal practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

Before Nigeria attained sovereign status on October 1, 1960, there was no formal system of legal education locally. The training of members of the legal profession in Nigeria was undertaken, as was the case in many Commonwealth African Countries, principally in the United Kingdom. The required qualifications consisted of a call to the English, Irish or Scottish Bar or qualification as a solicitor in these countries.

Layi Babatunde, SAN

This arrangement was in consonance with the then colonial status of Nigeria whereby, the inhabitants of a colonial territory were required to obtain the professional qualification prevalent in the metropolitan state as the only means of gaining admission into the profession.[16]

The body of benchers was established under section 3 of the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Acts of 1976 and 1977 as a body of legal practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession in Nigeria. It is charged with the responsibility for the formal call to the Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioner. Its membership includes the highest judges in the land, Attorney-General of the Federation and of the states, and distinguished members of the Nigerian Bar Association. By virtue of its composition and powers, the Body of Benchers is in a unique position to influence the course of legal education in Nigeria.

4.0  ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS AND THEIR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION

The legal framework for the control of corruption in Nigeria is still in its evolutionary stage. Prior to the late 1980s and thereafter, the Criminal Code and Penal Code substantially regulate criminal activities in Nigeria, corruption inclusive. However, the state of the law now is that there are several legislations that have direct bearing on the control of corruption Nigeria.

The constraints of space and time will not allow the detailed discussions of these laws. It is however important to put forward a list of major ones among them. We will also highlight those that are most relevant to our topic of discussion. The main Legislations on corruption control and others that impact on corruption in Nigeria, includes the following:

1) One of the earliest attempts to control corruption through legislation is the Northern Nigeria Customary Presents Order, 1955. This is the precursor to S. 6(3) of Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in First Schedule to 1999 Constitution which provides:

6. (1) A public officer shall not ask for or accept property or benefits of any kind for himself or any other person on account of anything done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties.

(3) A public officer shall only accept personal gifts or benefits from relatives or personal friends to such extent and on such occasions as are recognised by custom:

To be continued…