The Nigerian Bar Association conducted its final bar examination in November 2023, and 888 people failed it.
This was due to the fact that 4,412 students passed the exam out of a total of 5,300 who took it.251 of the successful candidates received first-class grades.
Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, announced this at the Call to Bar ceremony held in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said, “Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Body of Benchers, I will be presenting at this Call to the Bar ceremonies a total of 4,412 candidates who were successful at the November 2023 Bar Final examinations as well as 14 candidates from previous Bar Final Examinations.
“I am happy to report on the good performance recorded by the candidates as seen in the Executive Summary below: Outstanding/General Performance.
“Total number of students who participated in the Examinations: 5,300.
“Total number of successful candidates: 4,412.
“The Nigerian Law School is proudly happy to report that a total number of 251 candidates bagged first class grade in the last Bar final examination. This is indeed an outstanding excellent performance and, of course, unprecedented.
“These figures translate to 83.3 per cent success at the Bar final examinations.”
The Chairman of the Body of Benchers, who is a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Mary Peter-Odili, described the current period as bad for the judiciary.
She noted that the confidence in the judiciary was dwindling as a result of the spate of conflicting judgments and in discipline among lawyers.
Peter-Odili said, “It is a bad period in the sense that the judiciary is being bashed and public confidence in the legal system is dwindling, occasioned by incessant conflicting judgments in our courts and flagrant indiscipline amongst lawyers.”
She said the Body of Benchers had set up a committee to see to the issue of conflicting judgments.
“In a bid to address this vexed issue of conflicting judgments, the Body of Benchers constituted a committee made up of ranking members of the profession.
“The committee will come up with the best possible ways of addressing the concerns.
“When the committee completes its assignment and presents its report to the Body of Benchers, it will, upon consideration and approval, be forwarded to the relevant bodies for implementation,” she stated.
She urged the new lawyers to avoid all forms of corruption as well as conduct that could tarnish the image of the judiciary.
Peter-Odili said, “You have been called to the Bar in a very important historic period in the legal profession in Nigeria, a period when the good, the bad and the ugly are all operating at the same time.
“The good to the extent that the Supreme Court now has the full complement of Justices required to man the court.
“The good to the extent that the welfare of judicial officers is being taken seriously and the Body of Benchers alongside other relevant bodies is championing the process.
“I have read in the papers about the increased funding of the judiciary which is a positive development. I hope it will be backed by adequate release of funds as and when due.”
Among the new wigs is a former Governor of Rivers State and immediate-past Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi.