By Philip Yatai
President Bola Tinubu says Nigeria cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure.
Tinubu stated this in Abuja on Monday, while inaugurating the newly constructed 10-units of four-bedroom Staff Quarters for the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, the president said that his administration is addressing dilapidated infrastructure affecting the legal system.
“This is why, concurrently, we have constructed the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal and constructing Magistrate Courts across the FCT.
“We are also constructing state-of-the-art residential quarters for our judges in the heart of the city—to safeguard their security, protect their autonomy, and guarantee their comfort,” he said.
Tinubu described the legal profession as the “sentinel of Nigeria’s democracy and guardian of the rule of law”.
According to him, the next generation of legal minds would not be properly molded if the teachers, the instructors, and the administrators who shape them were left without decent, dignified shelter.
“These 10 units of four-bedroom flats are not an isolated gesture. They represent the first phase of a broader commitment to judicial and educational welfare.
“In addition to this, we are funding a brand-new auditorium for the law school and building new hostels for students of the school.
“We are also actively pushing for the full digitisation of the school’s administrative and academic operations, mirroring the technological leap we are already executing within the FCT High Courts”.
The president commended the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, for correcting a longstanding structural and historical failure in the legal institution.
In his remarks, Wike disclosed Tinubu’s approval to construct 20 additional housing units for the law school.
He added that the ongoing construction of female and male students’ hostels in the school would be completed soon.
The minister directed Mr Richard Dauda, acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority to get the contractor back to site.
“These two buildings must be completed before the end of the year. Every kobo owed to the contractors must be paid this month.
“Mr president, I want to thank you for giving us the support to intervene. Luckily for us, what we do is to provide public buildings for public institutions,” he said.
FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, described the project as a strategic investment in legal education and institutional development, noting that the Nigerian Law School occupies a central place in Nigeria’s legal and educational architecture.
Mahmoud said the institution remains the critical bridge between legal education and professional practice, producing generations of lawyers who continue to serve the nation in diverse capacities and strengthen the justice system.
She noted that the delivery of the staff quarters reflects the FCT Administration’s broader resolve to support institutions that shape human capital, promote service delivery and contribute to sustainable national growth.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr Olugbemisola Odusote, thanked Tinubu and the FCT minister for the intervention in the legal profession and the judiciary.
Odusote said that the housing units directly responded to the acute accommodation deficit previously faced by dedicated senior members of staff of the school.
“For an institution that shapes the minds of thousands of aspiring legal practitioners annually, the environment provided for both our learners and the faculty who shape them is not a luxury. It is a critical component of professional excellence.
“You cannot build a premium, 21st-century legal mind without supporting the dedicated staff who drive this vision, and this infrastructural rebirth provides the solid foundation required to achieve that goal,” she said.
Earlier, Dauda said that the project was awarded in November 2024 to help address a shortage of suitable accommodation for officers and academics of the Nigerian Law School.
He said that five of the blocks of the housing units were located on the northern side of the school, while the other five were sited on the western end of the school. (NAN)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza