What is in the budget for us?

“Of what good is invention without law and order?”

Anonymous

On 22nd December 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2016 ‘budget of change’ to a joint session of the National Assembly, in which he promised to spend N369.6 billion in education, which gives the sector the highest share of the government’s recurrent expenditure.

Furthermore, the president, to lay the foundation for sustainable growth, promised “free education for science, technology and education students in our tertiary institutions.” This is commendable as it shows a desire to revamp and restructure the education sector especially science and technology, which begs the question, what about law undergraduates, law school students and young lawyers? What does the government have for us in the budget?

The world today enjoys the technology and inventions of scientists because of the presence of law and order in the society and the lawyer plays a vital role in ensuring that the modules put down by the law for sanity are adhered to. It is because of the law and lawyers that public officials who looted government funds are being prosecuted, it is the same law and lawyers that restore stolen votes to mandate by nullifying certain elections to mention but a few.

The importance of law to the society cannot be overemphasised, however the study of law in the Nigerian system is quite long, tedious and expensive - from university to law school - and even after being called to the Bar the turf is still not easy. It is true that the legal profession is an elite profession, one not meant for the poor, irrespective, the government of change should find a way to reduce the burden placed on Nigerian students who desire to be agents of change through the practice of law.

Government policies over the years have always been implemented and carried out shy of the needs of the legal system and its operators; the law school fees is high {talking of above N200,000 high}; students are expected to come with a laptop, and also take care of their feeding and books; the National Youth Service Corps {NYSC} has no encouragement package for lawyers, no start -up kits from any corner etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

This writer is forced to believe that because the relevance of a lawyer to the society cannot be felt or touched like the scientists or medical doctors, the government does not feel obligated to assist in reducing the burden placed on law undergraduates by the Nigerian system.

If the government can afford free tertiary education for science and education students, it can also afford a laptop for every law school student. It can afford a startup kit for lawyers serving their nation, it can equally provide books for law students, because truth be told, books are what make a lawyer and law books are not so easy to acquire. It is not out of the ordinary if the government gives lawyers called to Bar the complete volumes of the laws of the Federation.

This writer cannot tell if this is obtainable in other parts of the world, quite frankly am only concerned with what can be done within the shores of our beloved country. Many Nigerians wish to study law as a course but when they consider the cost, the time spent and the fact that even after the whole struggle you might not find a safe haven in the profession, they turn away to other courses.

The government of the day that is so keen and committed in the fight against the scourge called corruption ought to encourage and support the Council of Legal Education in alleviating the plight of law students. Giving free tertiary education to science and technology students and ignoring the arts is only an encouragement to few who would now feel they are more important to the society than the students in the art department with specific concern to law students.

This writer is not advocating free education for law students or shorter time to be spent in school, not at all, but if government encourages inventions by doing one thing to the science department it should also do something for the faculties of law and the students to promote efficiency in the judiciary.

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