NOUN Law Students Emerge Tops in 2013 "Mute Court Competition."

Law students of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have emerged the winners of 2013 "Mute Court Competition."

They emerged winners by beating students from various conventional universities in the country who took part in the competition.

The Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, who disclosed this in an interview with THISDAY in Kaduna, said his students were almost prevented from participating in the competition on the grounds that NOUN was not recognised, adding that he had to lobby to ensure that the students of the institution were allowed to participate.

"Every year, the Faculties of Law of all universities in Nigeria have what they called "Mute Court Competition" where they argue cases and so on and the university that emerges winner at the end of the competition goes abroad to represent the country.

"This year they were about to do it and I asked my students to key in, but they said Open University is not recognised. I virtually lobbied for my students to participate. As I speak to you NOUN is the winner of that competition this year.

"Our students defeated all other law students of conventional universities in Nigeria to emerge winner. So our law students are going to the United States of America in April this year to compete among 80 other countries in the world," Tenebe said.

The vice-chancellor, who was reacting to recent calls by some legal practitioners that law graduates of the NOUN should not be admitted at the Nigerian Law School, said those who made such calls were ignorant about the institution.

He argued that in the United Kingdom (UK) the best lawyers are products of the Open University of UK, adding that with the emergence of the students of NOUN as the best in the competition that was participated by students of law faculties from all the universities in the country, the difference is very glaring for any discerning mind.

"So when the time comes for the Council on Legal Education to admit our students to the Law School, the situation will speak for itself. We are using the same curriculum as given by National Universites Commission (NUC) to all universities. I tell you that our students are far better than students of other universities" he insisted.