The Obafemi Awolowo University is not only one of the oldest in Nigeria, but, also has one of the oldest Law Faculties. The Faculty has birthed some of the most distinguished legal minds, including Judges, Senior Advocates, Academics, Businessmen, Politicians, and still counting. This has no doubt been without some challenges. Last week, the new Dean of this famous first generation Law Faculty, Professor Olugbemi Fatula had a chat with Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi on a wide range of issues, expressing his optimism about taking the Faculty to a higher academic pedestal, despite the obvious challenges    

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rof, you became the Dean of the Faculty of Law of Obafemi Awolowo University, one of the oldest Law Faculty’s in the country, a few months ago. But, a few years ago, OAU lost full accreditation. Has this challenge been overcome? What is the present status? What are your plans/agenda to restore the Faculty to its former glory?

Yes, the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, did experience a temporary setback when it lost accreditation some years ago. That experience was painful, but also purgative, because it compelled introspection and renewal. I often say that institutions, like individuals, sometimes go through seasons of pruning, in order to yield richer fruits.

I am pleased to say that, through the collective effort of the University management, my predecessors, and our committed Faculty members, the Faculty has long regained its accreditation. National Universities Commission (NUC) visited us last year for accreditation, and we were granted full accreditation. As you know, Law Faculties have two regulators – NUC and Council of Legal Education (CLE). The latter was to visit us shortly after I assumed office as Dean, but the visit was postponed through what I can term divine and transcendental intervention because our readiness was not complete. While some requirements and conditions for accreditation of the two bodies overlap, some notable differences exist in their expectations. For us to sustain the current wave of victorious accreditation outcomes, we are quite hopeful that when the re-scheduled accreditation visit eventually takes place, the outcome will meet our wishes, by the grace of God and the assistance of our distinguished Alumni and other well-wishers.

As Dean, my vision is anchored on three interlocking pillars: academic excellence, institutional renewal, and strategic partnerships. We are reviving and expanding the Ife Law and Allied Publications Series, under which a textbook on Legal Methods has already been published, with chapters contributed by our lecturers. The next in line is Introduction to Law, and subsequently, other core subjects such as Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Law of Contract etc.

The book publication project is very dear to my administration, because it presents us another opportunity to showcase the intellectual strength of the Faculty through the publication of high-quality and up-to-date law books. Our targeted audience goes beyond our students. It covers the broader Nigerian and international markets. However, we are constrained by funds. While the books are to be sold with minimal returns, raising the initial capital for production has been tough. Presently the Faculty can boast of five journals which are regularly produced, featuring well researched articles contributed by scholars within and outside the Nigerian state. In addition we are introducing another journal: Ife Journal of Law, Society and Developments. This review is intended to showcase our Faculty’s members contributions to discourse on contemporary topical issues of fundamental impact on law, society and development. 

Again, we have set the machinery in motion to motivate our M.Phil./Ph.D. students to establish their own journal and submit, some of  their already graded seminar papers for publication in the journal to be named Ife Postgraduate Students Law Journal. We are hoping that the maiden volume or part of the journal should be out in 2026. 

Furthermore, we are revamping and repositioning the Obafemi Awolowo University Law Reports for productivity and viability. This Law Report, established in the Faculty by our Fathers, must not be allowed to go into extinction. Part of our plan is to engage the participation of private investors, in the production and sale of the journal. We also intend to encourage our students, particularly our postgraduate students and our alumni all over the world, to patronise the journal. Surely, the glory of the journal must be revived and solidified to the glory of God, the Supreme Essence. 

Our administration also has certain programmes that we intend to implement, but, because we are yet to start, we wouldn’t want to mention them now, because of our belief as a transcendental Christian mystic that a plan not revealed has a better chance of success when implemented, than a plan revealed before any implementation.

We are also strengthening practical learning through the construction of a Clinical Legal Education Centre, which is being graciously sponsored by one of our eminently distinguished Alumni, who is a well known, public spirited Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN. This centre will bear his name upon completion. 

Apart from the above, we have also presented a proposal for the establishment of a CENTRE FOR LABOUR LAW AND INDUSTRIAL STUDIES to be named in honour of another highly distinguished Alumnus of this great University. These are just a few of the steps, taken so far. 

Several prizes and endowments have been instituted, to encourage academic excellence among our students. We intend to do more on this. 

However, one of my key goals is to reinvigorate our alumni network. We are reaching out to our alumni across Nigeria and in the diaspora, to reconnect with their intellectual home. With their support, we will not only restore Ife Law’s glory – we will surpass it.

Recently, the Minster of Education announced that Mathematics would now be made compulsory for admission into any University, even for those who seek to study courses that aren’t related to Mathematics, such as Law. Has this policy been implemented by your Faculty? What are your views on the policy itself? Why would Law require Mathematics as a compulsory subject for admission? 

I have followed the conversation around the compulsory inclusion of Mathematics for all university admissions, including Law, with deep interest. The policy, as far as I know, is not new in my Faculty. 

Mathematics is not central to the study Law in reality. I believe that as far as Law is concerned, the status quo should remain. 

In my O’ Level and A’ Level, I was in science courses before switching over to pure  arts subjects due to several factors, in which inability to cope was not one of them. In fact, I considered and still consider mathematics and mathematically based subjects like Physics, to be easier than pure Arts subjects. The compelling factor is what I now call “Uncle Factor”. As you know, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. My Late uncle of blessed memory, a very kind hearted man, insisted that the family needed a Lawyer more than an Engineer. And, I became the family donation to the legal profession. So, to me, Mathematics is not a big deal. But, the question is: 

Is introducing Mathematics as a requirement for admission into Law the solution, and what positive impact would that make on the quality of the legal profession? 

It is true that Lord Denning, MR, and a few others, had their foundations in Mathematics and the Sciences. Indeed Roscoe Pound, the respected leading light of the American school of Sociological Jurisprudence had his background in Botany, where he had a Ph.D. But there are many equally great legal and judicial minds who had no background in Mathematics and related subjects. To me therefore, introducing mathematics makes no additional sense. Our policy makers should engage their minds on issues that would make positive impact on the profession. Introducing Mathematics at this stage is not one of them. 

I must confess that I wouldn’t know the extent to which my years of flirtation with Mathematics, Physics, Additional Mathematics and Statistics has helped to shape my appreciation of Jurisprudence and Legal Theory. It could be  that these subjects sharpened my analytical reasoning faculty, enabling my deep understanding of the logic and science of Law.

Some have argued that the curriculum for Law Students in Nigeria may be outdated. Even the Nigerian Law School, it has been suggested by some that Law should be made a second degree, or in the alternative, Law School should be made a two-year programme. It has also been argued that Law School may fast be becoming redundant, and that maybe it’s time to replicate what is done in US, where students prepare for the exams on their own and take the exams without a formal ‘Law School’ after obtaining the degree in Law. Kindly, comment on this 

The debate about the adequacy of Nigeria’s legal curriculum and the structure of the Law School, is both timely and necessary. Law, as a living discipline, cannot be static. It must evolve with society. The curriculum we inherited from the colonial era has served us well in many respects, but, the time has come for a deep recalibration to reflect new realities – technology, artificial intelligence, environmental justice, gender dynamics, and global governance.

As a polyvalent thinker and transcendental mystic, I view legal education, not merely as professional training, but as civilisational formation. Our graduates must be philosophers of justice, architects of social order, and innovators in human governance. To that end, we need a curriculum that integrates law, technology, ethics, and leadership.

Regarding the Nigerian Law School, I would not call it redundant, but, rather, ripe for reform. The idea of making Law a second degree, as practiced in the United States, or extending the Law School to two years, has its merits. However, such proposals must be weighed carefully against Nigeria’s socio-economic realities.

Perhaps, the future lies in a hybrid model – where University Law Faculties are empowered to provide robust clinical and vocational training, and the Law School focuses on professional refinement, standards setting and ethical grounding. What matters most is not the form, but, the transformative quality of the legal mind we produce.

Left to me, the Council of Legal Education should be retained as the regulator and overall examination body. In other words, the point I’m trying to make is that private entities including established and reputable law firms as well as Universities’ Faculties of Law should be allowed to run law school’s programmes, while examinations, qualification criteria, practising requirements, among others, should reside within the purview of the Council of Legal Education. The  Nigerian Law School should not be abrogated, but should also be part of the institutions or centres to be supervised and regulated by the Council, as it is currently. In view of the huge capital that the Nigerian State has spent on the establishment of the various campuses and their running, I won’t advocate for its cancellation, but, that it should have competitors while the Council of Legal Education should be the overall regulator. What we are advocating here is a sort of liberalisation of the professional legal education sector, with players drawn from public and private segments.

With this, the Nigerian State would be able to maintain high standards of legal education and practice.

The issue of sexual harassment is one that is everywhere – in the work place, in educational institutions, so much so that a University Lecturer of OAU was convicted and imprisoned a few years ago for harassing a female student. Even within our profession, some senior Lawyers are accused of harassing their female juniors, As a seasoned University Lecturer, can you tell us why this evil has become so prevalent in tertiary institutions? Do you think the laws enacted to curb sexual harassment in tertiary institutions have been effective? What more can be done to stem this ugly tide, which obviously is not peculiar to Nigeria alone? 

Sexual harassment is a moral and institutional pathology, that thrives wherever power is abused and conscience is silenced. It is not peculiar to Nigeria; it is a global challenge that reveals the darker side of human relations – the misuse of influence, trust, and authority.

In Universities, the vulnerability of students and the authority of lecturers creates a delicate power dynamic. When ethical restraint collapses, exploitation can occur. But, beyond moral weakness, there is a deeper crisis of values – a failure to see others as sacred beings deserving of respect and dignity.

At Obafemi Awolowo University, we have taken strong measures to curb this evil. The University has policies and mechanisms for reporting and investigating sexual misconduct, and our Faculty upholds a zero-tolerance stance. The conviction of a former Lecturer, was a painful but necessary moment of institutional accountability.

However, laws alone cannot heal moral decay. There must be cultural renewal, ethical education, and spiritual reawakening. Students must be empowered to speak up without fear; Lecturers must be reoriented to see their vocation as a sacred trust, and their relationship with students as that of loco parentis; and society must stop normalising the trivialisation of sexual misconduct.

As a transcendental Christian mystic, I see this as a call for the restoration of conscience in the academy – the rediscovery of human decency as the foundation of knowledge. When we teach law, we must also teach love, justice, and respect  – for without those, the law becomes hollow.

Tell us about the conditions of service of Lecturers? What are ASUU’s grievances? Are they germane? Presently, they have threatened to go on strike again, why?

The conditions of service for Lecturers in Nigerian universities are, frankly, less than ideal. To be a University teacher in Nigeria today, is to live perpetually between vocation and sacrifice. Lecturers are not merely employees; they are the custodians of a nation’s intellectual future. Yet, the economic and infrastructural support that should sustain that sacred duty is often inadequate.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been consistent in drawing attention to this reality. Its grievances, which include poor funding, salary stagnation, lack of autonomy, non-implementation of collective agreements, and infrastructural neglect, are not frivolous. They are germane, and speak to the soul of the University system.

When ASUU threatens to go on strike, it is less out of rebellion than desperation, a cry for institutional dignity. However, strike is avoidable when the Government is more responsive, and truly prioritises the education sector.

As a Faculty, we continue to motivate our staff intellectually and morally. We believe that, even within constraint, we can sustain excellence, but only if the nation rediscovers the value of the mind as its most precious resource.

Cultism has become the bane of most Nigerian Universities. What has been the experience of OAU? How do you control this in your Faculty? How effective is your screening process for new intakes into your Faculty?

Cultism is a tragic paradox. It represents the corruption of youthful idealism into destructive secrecy. The Obafemi Awolowo University has had its own difficult history with cultism, but, we have also developed one of the most resilient systems of prevention and response in the country.

At the Faculty of Law, we emphasise character as much as intellect. Our admission screening process is meticulous; we look beyond grades to the moral and psychological disposition of students. During orientation, we engage new intakes in mentorship programmes, introducing them to the noble ideals of justice, discipline, and community responsibility.

Our students also operate under the close mentorship of the Faculty Student Affairs Committee, in addition to Course Advisers who are close to students and attend to their needs promptly. We equally maintain an open-door policy, where students can confidentially report suspicious or troubling behaviour.

In the final analysis, cultism thrives where there is a vacuum of meaning. Our task, as educators, is to fill that vacuum with purpose, to show young people that greatness does not come from secrecy or violence, but from service and excellence.

Most Law Faculties in Nigerian Universities require their students to attend lectures in court regulation colours of black and white. Does your Faculty have this policy? What is the reason for this policy? Should Law students not be allowed to wear what they like, instead of being forced to dress as if they are still in secondary school? 

Yes, our Faculty, like most Law Faculties in Nigeria, requires students to attend lectures in black and white attire. This is not a matter of authoritarian control or aesthetic preference; it is a symbolic discipline, part of the intellectual conditioning of a Lawyer.

The law is not only learned, but lived. It is a culture. The black and white dress code reminds students daily of the solemnity, order, and decorum required of members of the legal profession. It is a pedagogical tool, in character formation.

However, I agree that enforcement must be humane and intelligent. The goal is not uniformity for its own sake, but internal discipline and respect for professional ethos. A Lawyer who learns order in attire, is more likely to express order in reasoning and conduct.

As a Faculty, we also encourage freedom of thought and innovation. But, freedom without form becomes chaos; form without freedom becomes oppression. The black and white attire is our way of inculcating both, that is discipline without dullness.

What is the ratio of pass of OAU graduates at the Nigerian Law School? 

The record of OAU Law graduates at the Nigerian Law School, has been consistently commendable. We maintain strong academic rigour at the undergraduate level, ensuring that our students develop not only legal knowledge, but also the critical and moral intelligence required for legal practice. While performance may vary across years, our graduates often rank among the top achievers. 

However, we are not complacent. We are strengthening our pre-Law School preparatory sessions, integrating more clinical and problem-based learning, and maintaining mentorship relationships between our alumni in practice and current students. Our ultimate goal is not just to produce students who pass examinations, but Lawyers who transform society.

A few years ago, the Government came up with a policy that University Lecturers are required to earn a Doctorate Degree to become Professors. PhD Professors are said to be seriously depleted.  What is the position in your Faculty/University?

The policy requiring a Doctorate Degree for appointment as a Professor, has long been entrenched in our Faculty. Undoubtedly, a Doctorate Degree promotes depth of scholarship and research culture. Today, I can authoritatively state that about 95% of our Lecturers have Ph.Ds, while all our Professors are Ph.D holders. As a matter of fact, this has been the tradition at OAU from the early 1960s, when the Faculty prided itself with the presence of legal juggernauts in the likes of Professors Ijalaye, Fabunmi, Oretuyi, Kasunmu, and Dr Akinola Aguda.

Interestingly, the Faculty enjoys the presence of Ph.D holders who received their postgraduate training within the Faculty and in some from other Law Faculties within the country, while some obtained theirs outside the shores of the country, thereby bringing diversity and depth to our teaching and research.

Post-UTME tests now come with an option to either take the test online or physical test. Which option does OAU Law Faculty adopt? Which is most reliable, and which option does your Faculty prefer, and why?

Technology is reshaping education globally, and universities must adapt intelligently. At OAU, the post-UTME process has evolved and now, it is done entirely online, though with strict monitoring and verification. 

The future belongs to the University that can embrace innovations. OAU is positioning itself, to be that University.

The brain drain has become quite exacerbated, with a mass exodus of experienced Law teachers from Government Universities to Private Universities. Also, many have moved abroad. To what extent, has this affected your Faculty?       

The brain drain phenomenon, is one of the most painful realities of our time. Many of our finest minds – in law, science, medicine, and the humanities – have sought better opportunities abroad or in private universities. This exodus has thinned the ranks of experienced teachers in public institutions, including ours.

At the Faculty of Law, OAU, we have indeed, felt the impact. Some of our valued colleagues have left. Today, our Faculty is grossly under-staffed and unless urgent steps are taken to rescue the ugly situation, it may constitute a serious threat to our future accreditation. But, not only that, the quality of teaching and research is bound to be negatively impacted, when lecturers are overwhelmed by official responsibilities.

Without exaggerating, our Faculty is the least staffed throughout the country especially in comparison with contemporary Law Faculties of ABU, UI, and UNN. This is in relation to the population of students vis-à-vis that of the teaching staff.

Sadly, the challenge that the Faculty currently faces is not limited to the shortage of academic staff, but, also paucity of funds. Without mincing words, the Faculty needs all the assistance it can get at the moment, especially from the alumni body to surmount the challenge of funds.

Ultimately, I believe no mind that truly loves truth ever leaves the University permanently. They may travel physically, but spiritually, they remain with us. Our task is to build a Faculty so excellent, that even those who left will long to return – to teach, to mentor, to give back.

Thank you Prof.

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