315 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies Volume 01, Issue 10, 2023 ISSN (E): 2993-2157 Legal Education in Nigerian Public Tertiary Institution: Challenges and Way Forward Niyi Jacob Ogunode Department of Education, University of Abuja, Nigeria Adeola, Christina, L. Post-Graduate Student, Faculty of Law, University of Abuja Abstract: Objectives: The objective of this paper is to discuss the challenges militating against the development of legal education in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Methods: Content analysis was adopted for the paper. Both secondary and primary data were used in the paper to support points raised. The data were sourced from national and international dailies, published, unpublished papers and articles and reference materials. Findings: Inadequate funding, shortage of lecturers, inadequate infrastructural facilities, brain- drain, strike actions, teaching of large classes, corruption, political influence, insecurity, lack of passionate and committed lecturers, lack of research and lack of synergy between the institutions (law faculties and law school) were identified as challenges militating against the development of legal education in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Conclusion: The paper concludes that inadequate funding, shortage of lecturers, inadequate infrastructural facilities, brain-drain, strike actions, teaching of large classes, corruption, political influence, insecurity, lack of passionate and committed lecturers, lack of research and lack of synergy between the institutions (Law Faculties and Law School are challenges militating against the development of legal education in Tertiary institutions in Nigeria) Recommendations: The federal and state government should increase the funding of legal education in all the tertiary institutions across the country. Keywords: Law Education, Public Tertiary Education, Insecurity Nigeria, State. Introduction Public Tertiary Institutions are institutions owned by the government and established by the law of the parliament to provide a public higher education for the people within the country. Tertiary Education is the education given after Post Basic Education in institutions such as Universities and Inter-University Centres like the Nigeria French Language Village, Nigeria Arabic Language Village, National Institute of Nigerian Languages, other institutions are Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs), and Colleges of Education, Monotechnics, Polytechnics, and other specialized institutions like the Colleges of Agriculture, Schools of Health and Technology and the National Teachers' Institutes (NTI) (FRN, 2013). Some of the goals of the Tertiary Education are to contribute to national development through high level manpower training; provide accessible and affordable quality learning opportunities in formal and informal education in response to the needs and interests of all Nigerians; provide 316 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us high quality career counseling and lifelong learning programmes that prepare students with the knowledge and skills for self-reliance and the world of work; reduce skill shortages through the production of skilled manpower relevant to the needs of the labour market; promote and encourage scholarship, entrepreneurship and community service; forge and cement national unity; and promote national and international understanding and interaction (FRN, 2013). The Tertiary Educational institutions shall are expected to pursue certain goals, these are: quality student intake; quality teaching and learning; research and development; high standards in the quality of facilities, services and resources; staff welfare and development programmes; provision of a more practical based curriculum relevant to the needs of the labour market; generation and dissemination of knowledge, skills and competencies that contribute to national and local economic goals which enable students to succeed in a knowledge-based economy; a variety of flexible learning modes including full-time, part time, block release, day-release, and sandwich programmes; access to training funds such as those provided by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund); Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) that is well structured, coordinated and supervised; maintenance of minimum educational standards through appropriate regulatory agencies; an all-inclusive credible admissions policy for national unity; supporting affordable, equitable access to tertiary education through scholarships and students' loans; inter-institutional co-operation and linkages; and dedicated services to the community through extra-mural and extension services (FRN, 2013). The realization of the objectives of tertiary education hinges on the availability of human and material resources. One of the key materials resources is the information communication technology. The Nigeria tertiary education system as earlier mentioned comprises of universities, polytechnics and colleges offering programmes in teacher education and agriculture. Higher education is a community of scholars free to pursue knowledge without undue interference from anywhere. The law programme is one of the major programmes offered in Nigerian tertiary education. The programme offered in the Nigerian universities as listed in the BMAS documents were produced for the following academic disciplines: i) administration; management and management technology; ii) agriculture, forestry, fisheries and home economics; iii) arts; iv) basic medical and health science v) education; vi) engineering and technology; vii) environmental sciences; viii) law; ix) pharmaceutical sciences x) medicine and dentistry; xi) science; xii) social sciences; xii) veterinary medicine (Ogunode, 2020). Law programme also known as legal education is one of the major programme offered in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. Writer Club (2017) claimed that legal education is the system of training students to become legal specialists. Such training is given in educational institutions that are devoted to the study of law. It can also be seen as a body of knowledge about the government, administration, and law. Possession of a legal education serves as a basis for professional legal activity. The elements of legal education in each period of history have corresponded to the level of development of legislation and jurisprudence.Legal education in Nigeria is patterned after the system in England except that whereas lawyers in England are solicitors or barristers, all lawyers in Nigeria qualify and can practice as both barristers and solicitors.Legal education in Nigeria consists of academic study for 4 to 5 years (depending on the mode of entry) in a law faculty and a year in the law school followed by call to the Nigerian Bar and enrollment as a legal practitioner at the Supreme Court. It is the National Universities Commission (NUC) that established minimum academic standards for the conferment of law degrees (LL.B). Likewise, the Council of Legal Education has established requirement which a law degree must satisfy before it can qualify its holder for admission into the Nigerian Law School for a Bachelor of Law degree. This therefore subjects law faculties to two accreditations: one by the NUC and another by the Council of Legal Education (CLE). According to NUC‘s document on Minimum Academic Standards for Law in 317 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us Nigerian universities: ―Academic legal education should therefore act, first, as a stimulus to stir the student into the critical analysis and examination of the prevailing social, economic and political systems of his community and, secondly, as an intellectual exercise aimed at studying and assessing the operation, efficacy and relevance of various rules of law in society. ‖Undoubtedly, all human activities in their social, economic, political and environmental contexts, take place within a legal framework. It is therefore necessary, according to the NUC revised Minimum Academic Standards for Law, ―that the student of law should also have a broad general knowledge and exposure to other disciplines in the process of acquiring legal education (Writer Club 2017).‖ The Law Faculties of Universities owe a duty to adequately prepare Nigerian law students for the largely procedural law that will be studied at the Nigerian Law School and encountered in practice. That way, the transition from substantive law to procedural law will not be too sudden. The law school, in turn, owes a duty to ensure that those who are eventually called to Bar are competent and can defend their Call to Bar Certificates at all times. Every year (sometimes once, sometimes twice) over 3, 000 (Three Thousand) lawyers are released into the society and many of them do not have a clue about what legal practice entails. In most cases, they have to be trained all over again by their prospective Chambers (Writer Club 2017). Okangla, (2021) submitted that legal education is very important, any neglect would amount to a fatal consequence in the entire process of Justice Adjudication. The nature of service rendered by Lawyers, Judges and other members of the profession in the administration of justice is always a reference point for every responsible and justice-loving government. Addressing the state of legal education in Nigeria should be a point of worry and a great concern for Government at all levels. The state of Legal education in Nigeria is sorry, it is far from international standard. This is obviously taken its toll on the entire system of justice administration in every state of our journey as a nation. The current state of legal education in Nigeria is highly substandard, hence the quality of lawyers churn out of Law schools and their representation at the bar and subsequently at the bench should not be taken as an accident. It is as the product of chronic systemic impact and failure hence such disposition. Based on this submission, this paper discusses the challenges militating against the development of legal education in Tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Challenges Faced With Legal Education in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions In this paper, inadequate funding, shortage of lecturers, inadequate infrastructure facilities, brain- drain, strike actions, teaching of large classes, corruption, political influence, insecurity, lack of passionate and committed lecturers, lack of research and lack of synergy between the institutions (law faculties and law schools) would be considered as challenges militating against the development of legal education in Tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Inadequate Funding Inadequate funding is one of the major problems facing legal education in the public universities in Nigeria. Poor budgetary allocation to legal education in Nigeria is the chief factor that militates against Legal Education in Nigeria. Successive government are guilty of this. This case of clear neglect on the side of government has kept legal education in stagnation for years. No Faculty of Law in Nigeria has a 21 st facility to train a 21 st century lawyer. The traditional method of bombarding students with notes and handout is still in play thereby slowing the pace of our movement. Most Law Faculties across the globe, most especially those in the Western and European states have facilities and establish a high conducive environment for academic purpose. In this part of the world, nothing seems to be happening. There is no doubt funding of education is handled by the Government and most of the percentage usually allocated to education is poor and effectively pulling down plans to effect changes that could see law students compete with their peers from western universities across the globe. Also, Akinola (2021) submits that ―Funding is one of the problems of legal education in Nigeria. Funding is 318 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us grossly inadequate considering the number of people that want to study law now. The factors responsible for inadequate funding of public universities in Nigeria according to Daniel-Kalio (2019); Ogunode (2020); Ogunode & Abubakar, (2020); Ogunode & Ahaotu (2020a) and Ogunode, & Adah, (2022) include lack of political will, corruption, increase in population, inflation, fall in national revenue and poor financial planning. The implications of underfunding of the public universities according to Nwekeaku, (2013); Obadara, &Alaka, (2013); Ogunode, Ahmed, Gregory & Abubakar (2020); Ogunode, Akinjobi & Musa (2022); Ogunode, Akinjobi, & Olatunde-Aiyedun (2022) include inadequate infrastructural facilities, shortage of academics staff, poor quality of education, brain-drain and strike action. Shortage of Lecturers Inadequate academic staff is another major problem facing the legal education public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Many public universities in Nigeria do not have adequate lecturers in law programme. Lecturers in administrative law, Nigerian legal method, Nigerian legal system, Banking and Insurance law, Constitutional law, Criminal law, Criminology, Commercial law, Oil and Gas law, Marine law etc, are limited in most tertiary institutions in the country The Nigerian universities are faced with the problem of shortage of lecturers in many departments and faculties especially in programme like the law programmes mentioned above. (Ogunode & Abubakar, 2020;). For instance, the report of Dateline (2022) as captured in National Universities Commission data indicated that Federal Universities in Nigeria suffer a shortage of full-time professors. According to the data, no Federal University scored up to 50 per cent in the ranking of full professors. This implies that no Federal University has the required number of full professors. Some of the Federal Universities ranked in the top 10 are the Usman Dan-Fodiyo University, Sokoto, with 36.44 percent; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, 35.80 percent; Federal University of Technology, Akure, 27.28 percent; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, 27.25 percent; the University of Abuja, 25.33 percent; the University of Benin, 23.26 percent; University of Port Harcourt, 21.26 percent; the University of Calabar, 21.20 percent; and the University of Ilorin, 21.12 percent (Punch, 2022; Ogunode & Okwelogu 2022). The shortage of lecturers in Law Faculties is responsible for high teacher-student ratio in the faculties and departments of laws in the universities. This problem of inadequate teachers in public universities is caused according to Ogunode (2020) and Ogunode & Onyekachi, (2021) underfunding of the universities, corruptions, brain-drain, poor motivation, unconducive working environment and lack of manpower planning. The implication of shortage of academic staff in the Nigerian public universities include high student –teacher ratio, poor learning, poor delivery of teaching, low productivities and poor quality of education. Inadequate Infrastructure Facilities Inadequate infrastructural facilities is a very big problem facing the legal education public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Many Faculties of Law in Nigerian public universities do not have adequate infrastructural facilities. Infrastructural facilities refers to facilities aiding delivery of academic and non-academic services in educational institutions. Infrastructural facilities according Ogunode (2020) include; libraries, laboratories, halls, offices, administrative blocks, hostels, roads facilities, water, electricity, internet etc. The availability of the infrastructural facilities in adequate quantities will support effective administration of educational institutions and the inadequacies will prevent effective administration of educational institutions (Ebehikhalu & Dawam, 2017);Ogunode, Okwelogu & Olatunde-Aiyedun (2021); Ogunode, Olatunde- Aiyedun, & Mcbrown, (2022). Okangla, (2021) opined that inadequate facilities is one of the major challenges of confronting legal education in Nigeria. Most of the facilities available in our law Faculties are so overstretched that learning is not conducive. In addition to this, most of the law faculties do not have accommodate-able Moot Court Complex for proper horning of clinical skills. The problem of poor Facilities in Nigerian Universities is epidemic as Government pay little or no attention to holistically addressing the deficit. No doubt, comfort is needed for assimilation to be effective. The best can‘t be delivered neither can quality be assured in an 319 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us overcrowded learning environment. Our lecture Halls are usually stuffy, no proper ventilation, no air conditioners, no electricity neither to talk of fan. It is very uncommon to see Students standing by the windows or sharing seats in the course of Lectures. You hardly find modern instructional materials such as audio visuals aids, or public address systems in our lecture theatres, that is if there any theatres in some universities at all! Due to the large population of students, the teachers are overstretched such that the salutary culture of tutorials has become history in our Faculties.[6]Facilities across our universities are grossly inadequate for the training of 21st century lawyers. How many of our moot courts are properly funded? How many of our libraries are properly funded with e-materials?‖ asked by Akinola (2021).The factors responsible for inadequate infrastructural facilities in Nigerian public universities include; underfunding, increased in students population, corruption, poor infrastructural facilities planning, poor supervision and inflation. The implication of inadequate infrastructural facilities in the Nigerian public universities include; poor quality of education, poor teaching and learning, low productivities, brain-drain and overcrowdings of lecture halls. Brain-drain Another problem preventing effective administration of legal education in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria is the challenge of brain-drain problem. Brain-drain refers to the movement of professionals from developing countries to developed countries for a better job offers. Brain-drain is a situation whereby professional individuals are migrating from their countries to another country to seek greener pasture. Many lecturers and researchers are leaving tertiary institutions in Nigeria to other part of African countries and Europe for a better job offer and conducive working environment. Tis is affecting the various law programme in the public universities is affecting the administration of the universities because academic staff are very important for the implementation of universities‘ programme. Factors responsible for Brain-drain in the Nigerian public universities according to Ogunode 2020) include; poor motivation, unconducive working environment, insecurity, underfunding and political interferences. The implication of brain-drain in the Nigerian public universities include; shortage of lecturers, poor quality of education and high student-teacher ratio. Strike Actions Strike actions in the Nigerian public tertiary institutions is another problem facing the administration of legal education in Nigeria. The Nigerian public tertiary institutions are known for continuous strike actions by different union groups in the public universities Eneh, &Owo, (2009) Ekundayo, & Ajayi, (2009); Ogunode & Ndayebom, (2022) and Ogunode, Ezema, &Olugbenga, (2022) The continuous strike actions by these different union groups are frustrating the administration of public universities in Nigeria (Ogunode 2020; Olowonefa, Ogunode & Ohibime (2022). Jacob & Adeniran, (2019) submitted that it is inevitable that Nigerian Universities would experience industrial actions once in a while but what we have in Nigeria is a situation in which industrial actions have become the norm rather than the exception. A cursory look at the history of strikes embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of universities (ASUU) would reveal some appalling statistics. In 1999, Nigerian universities were closed for five months; in 2001, for three months, in 2003, for six months, in 2007 for three months, in 2009 for four months, in 2010 for five months, in 2011 for three months. The negative effects of these strike actions are better imagined than stated, but suffice it to state that it has become acceptable for parents to mentally add a couple of extra years to the number of years their wards are expected to spend in the university upon admission. The reasons for the strike actions by different union groups include according to Ogunruku, (2016); Ogunode 2020) and Ogunode, Ugochukwu & Jegede (2022) underfunding of the public universities, inadequate infrastructural facilities, poor implementation of agreement reached with union groups and poor working condition. The implications of the continuous strike actions on the public universities include; disruption in the academic programme, poor quality of education, bad image for the universities, poor ranking internationally and poor patronage of public universities in Nigeria. https://thenigerialawyer.com/the-challenges-of-legal-education-in-nigeria-and-prospects/#_ftn6 320 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us Teaching of Large Classes The teaching of large classes in public tertiary institutions is another challenge hindering quality of legal education in Nigeria. This submission is acknowledged by Akinola (2021) who said ―You put a thousand students in the Law School and teach all of them at a stretch. The teacher- student ratio is also a problem, which boils down to funding. What‘s the teacher-student ratio in the Nigerian Law School? Ten lecturers to 1,000 students, so that is a ratio of 1:100. Can it be effective? No! by Akinola‖. Writer Club (2017) asserted that the problem of too many students is a lack of synergy with the Nigerian Law School. Nigerian Faculties of law admit too many students. It is quite understandable that faculties of law seek to make Legal Education available to all and sundry but the downside of this desire is that the Nigerian faculties of law end up exceeding their quota at the Nigerian law school (each faculty of law is allowed to sell Law School forms to a particular number of its students). The availability of these forms is dependent on how highly said Faculty of Law is rated by the Council of Legal Education. Some Nigerian Faculties of law, despite the said rating, still admit more than their prescribed quota so we have instances where a particular faculty of law is entitled to say, 50 Law School Forms every year, but ends up graduating 250 students! Invariably, there is a backlog of students who eagerly await their respective turns to obtain law school forms. These are fallouts from the initial problem of admitting far more students than the faculty is entitled to. Ogunode & Ndayebom, (2022) and Eneh, &Owo, (2009) concluded that many lecturers are lecturing students above the actual capacity of teacher-students ratio in most tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Corruption Corruption in the public tertiary institutions in Nigeria is another problem preventing effective administration of legal education in the public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The high rate of corruption in the Nigerian public universities has hindered the development of law education in Nigeria. Gambo & Fasanmi, (2019); Ogune, (2021). Many public universities are in the present condition because of the corruption in the system. Funds provided for implementation of programme, provision of infrastructural facilities, employment of staff and programme development ended up been looted or diverted into private account (Koko, (2015);Ololube, (2016);Godwin 2017; Okebukola, (2018); Ogunode, Iyabode & Olatunde-Aiyedun, (2022);Ogunode, Josiah & Ajape (2021); Ogunode, Ndubuisi, Jegede (2022) and Mgbekem, (n.d).. Punch (2020) submitted that much of the little funds that go into the universities are stolen. In the course of the face-off, the government claimed ―the fraud in the universities is amazing and you will be shocked. ICPC did a system check recently, and it was so shocking. In fact, the worst two organisations they mentioned are the Teaching Hospitals and our universities (Oluremi. & Oyewole, (2014; Ogunode, Jegede, Adah, Audu & Ajape, (2021).‖ In 2018, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project claimed that there were allegations of corruption in several federal universities relating to the unfair allocation of grades; contract inflation; truncation of staff‘s salary on the payroll; employment of unqualified staff; certificate scandal; examination malpractice; sexual harassment; and issuance of results for expelled students to graduate. Political Influence Another big challenge facing the administration of legal education in the public tertiary institutions in Nigeria is the political influence. The public universities have been designed to function with political officer holders or politician in the country (Olayinka, 2018). The school administrators of public universities are answerable to the governing council constituted by the government to manage the affair of the public universities in the country. Tribune online (2022) reports that the establishment of these new campuses has come in the wake of the proliferation of Nigerian tertiary institutions by the federal government, state government and legislative houses with little or no plan for sustainability. Rather, the creation of tertiary institutions is now regarded as a hallmark of achievement of an incumbent administration. I have, in the course of 321 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us previous editions, lent my voice together with few others who see the unwholesome development of the proliferation of ‗mushroom‘ universities for what it truly is, i.e., universities are symbolisms of political achievements rather than serving its primary purpose.Besides a consideration of the proliferation of tertiary institutions all over Nigeria, and the recent extension of this unfortunate premise to the Nigerian Law School, perhaps, more alarming is the decision of the legislature to intervene in the creation of the said additional campuses, particularly as the previously established campuses were by the administrative decision of the Council of Legal Education. This therefore leads to the irresistible conclusion the intervention of the Senate in a function which is otherwise reposed in the Council of Legal Education is nothing more than an attempt to politicise the process and score political points. The Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, noted that the ‗Bill for an Act to amend the Legal Education (Consolidation etc.) Act by establishing campuses for the Nigerian Law School, and for other related matters‘, by which two campuses of the Nigerian Law School will be cited in each of the geopolitical zones, was passed, he rightfully noted that it was politically motivated. He further rightfully noted that it is unfortunate that some senators want to politicise the establishment of Nigerian Law School campuses, even when there are glaring evidence that the Federal Government cannot adequately fund existing ones (Tribune online (2022). Insecurity Insecurity is another problem facing the administration of legal education in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Nigeria is facing insecurity challenge and this is affecting the entire educational institutions in the country. The Islamic sect called Boko haram meaning western education is forbidden is attacking educational institutions in the Northern part of Nigeria. Many public universities located in the Northern Nigeria have been victims of continuous attacks. Many students, lecturers and administrators have been killed while others kidnapped. The various attacks on the universities have resulted to school closure leading to unstable academic programme. Recently, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is facing security threats as ISWAP, Boko Haram and bandit terrorists planned to attack Nigerian Law School, Bwari, worship centers and security formations in the nation‘s capital. According to Daily Nigeria there was plan to abduct staff and student of the Nigerian Law School, Bwari by two banditry kingpins, Kachalla Ali Kawaje and Kachalla Dansadi (Daily Nigeria,2022). Lack of Passionate and Committed Lecturers Another challenge facing the legal education in Nigeria is lack of passionate and committee lecturers in the various departments and faculties in the tertiary institutions. This submission is affirmed by Okangla, (2021) who submitted that the challenges the legal education is battling with in Nigeria is lack of passionate and committed lecturers. The entire labour system in Nigeria is defective to the extent that Lawyers without the interest of teaching flood the faculties thereby only filling the space and leaving the job substantially unattended. Most of these Lecturers combine teaching and practice. They pay more attention to practice than teaching as a result the entire teaching job is sparingly handled. These crop of unpassionate and uncommitted Lecturers are responsible for the weak and half-baked set of Lawyers and thereby forming part of the problem facing legal education in Nigeria. Lack of Research Researches in legal education is limited due to poor funding and lack of conducive environment. Poor research is an issue hindering the development of legal education in the public tertiary institutions across the country. This submission is attested to by Okangla, (2021) who observed that the legal profession have no room for laziness and unproductiveness. Research is key to everyone that must succeed in the legal profession either as a student, lawyer, judge or a Lecturer. It is a hard fact that most of our lecturers don‘t engage in research and they fail to feed Students with recent decided cases and up to date laws. This act of professional malpractice is and negligence is greatly hampering the development of legal education in its entirety. It is an 322 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us embarrassing for a Lecturer to misguide his Student due to lack of research on his part. This clearly shows negligence on his part to duty. Lack of synergy between the Institutions (Law Faculties and Law School) Another challenges facing the legal education in Nigerian tertiary institutions is lack of synergy between the institutions in charge of legal education in Nigeria. This submission is supported by Writer Club who (2017) opined that the bulk of what is taught in Nigerian Faculties of law is substantive law which tells us what law ought to be (de legeferenda) instead of procedural law which deals with what law is (lexlata). When students arrive at the Nigerian Law School, from Nigerian Universities, they are immediately faced with the remarkable difference or distinction between what is taught by both institutions of learning. This makes for an awkward transition for the law students. In some cases, a good number of them never quite grasp the complexity of what they are facing since it all seems so surreal. The Council of Legal Education, in a bid to build a synergy between the Nigerian Law School and Nigerian faculties of law, it has stipulated the courses to be offered and taught in Nigerian Universities. A couple of Nigerian faculties of law still offer some decidedly strange law courses which are not approved by the Council of Legal Education and which do not positively influence the making of a Nigerian Lawyer. A lot of Nigerian Universities have no room in their curriculum for the practical aspect of law, which is what is taught at the Nigerian Law School. Conclusion and Recommendations This paper looked at the challenges militating against the development of legal education in Tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The paper concludes that inadequate funding, shortage of lecturers, inadequate infrastructural facilities, brain-drain, strike actions, teaching of large classes, corruption, political influence, insecurity, lack of passionate and committed lecturers, lack of research and lack of synergy between the institutions (Law faculties and law School) are challenges militating against the development of legal education in Tertiary institutions in Nigeria. To reposition the legal education in the Nigerian tertiary institutions, the following were recommended: a) Government of the federal republic of Nigeria should increase the funding of legal education in Nigerian public tertiary education. This can be done by increasing the yearly budget for education from six (6%) percent or less to fifteen to twenty percent (15% – 20%), the recommended minimum budgetary allocation to education in developing countries by UNESCO. This will help to improve research programme in the faculties and departments of law across the country. In fact most of the problems identified are linked to poor funding. b) Employment more law lecturers in all public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This will help to address the problem of high students-lecturers ratio in the classes and improve the quality of legal education in Nigeria; c) Provide adequate infrastructural facilities in all facilities and departments of law across all public tertiary institutions in Nigeria; d) Motivate all the law lecturers by increasing their salaries and welfare packages. This will help to prevent brain-drain e) Ensure agreement reached with different union groups in the public tertiary institutions are implemented to avoid strike actions in the public tertiary institutions f) Direct all its anti-corruption agencies to monitor all the funds released to the public tertiary institutions for implementation of their programme such as law programmes and for capital development to prevent looting and mismanagement in the system; 323 AMERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www. grnjournal.us g) Improve the capacity of data generating agencies in the country to ensure generation of current and adequate data for planning of public universities in Nigeria; h) The government should grant autonomy to all the public universities in the country. 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