Kwara Law Students’ Association Accuses Unrecognized Actors of Sabotaging Scholarship Process”

The National Association of Kwara State Law Students (NAKLAS NHQ) has raised concerns over alleged sabotage in the Kwara Law School Scholarship process.

In a statement made available to iDeemlawful, NAKLAS claimed some unrecognized individuals are impersonating the association’s leadership and attempting to hijack the scholarship process.

These impostors claim to represent Kwara State law students at the Nigerian Law School, but NAKLAS asserts that they are neither elected nor recognized by any legitimate student body. NAKLAS alleges that their goal is to divert attention from the association’s structured and inclusive facilitation and instead lobby for selective scholarship disbursement.

NAKLAS has been the only legally recognized and constitutionally backed student body representing Kwara law students for over two decades. The association commends Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s students/youth-centered policies and consistent disbursement of law school scholarships since 2019.

FULL STATEMENT:

KWARA LAW SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP: NAKLAS (NHQ) Calls on the Ministry of Tertiary, the Scholarship Board, the SA Student, and The General Public to Halt Sabotage of Law School Scholarship Process by Unrecognized Actors. Commends Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq’s students/youth-centered policies.

PRESS RELEASE
2nd May, 2025

The attention of the leadership of the National Association of Kwara State Law Students (NAKLAS NHQ) has been drawn to the activities of some impostors impersonating the leadership of NAKLAS and that they’re the ones representing all Kwara state law students at the Nigerian law school for the purpose of bursary.

This scholarship, which has historically offered relief to financially burdened Kwara State indigenes at the Nigerian Law School, is now under threat from non-recognized individuals parading themselves as representatives of Kwara State Law students.

For over two decades, NAKLAS (NHQ) has been the only legally recognized and constitutionally backed student body representing Kwara law students across Nigeria and there has never been any other indigenous law students association that shares responsibilities with it in this regard. The association has remained consistent in facilitating scholarships and welfare engagements on behalf of students.

Our institutional credibility is well-rooted — with notable alumni such as the renowned professor of law, Professor A. T. Sheu (former Dean of Law, Alhikma University, Ilorin) as well as the current Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, Barrister Suleiman Muhammad Hassan Kosemani, who served as the association’s pioneer General Secretary and later as National President in 2002/2003.

Following a period of inactivity, NAKLAS (NHQ) was revived in 2019 during the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. That year, Mr. Moshood Ibrahim, Esq., a former Chief Judge of NAKSS National Headquarters, was appointed as the CTC Chairman and Revival President of the association. In 2023, Mr. Abdullahi Soliu Dagbo, another former NAKSS Chief Judge, assumed the presidency of NAKLAS (NHQ), further sustaining the structured tradition of law student leadership before he passed the Barton of leadership to the present administration headed by AbdulRauf AbdulBasit.

Since the assumption of office by Governor AbdulRazaq in 2019, Kwara State has witnessed consistent, yearly disbursements of law school scholarships — a remarkable departure from past irregularities. This fit has been achieved since 2019 till date through the strategic engagement and collaboration by the past leadership of the association with our responsive and responsible father and Governor as well as other stakeholders in charge of scholarship disbursement in Kwara state. We are sincerely grateful for this historic support, which has eased the burdens of hundreds of students across various Nigerian Law School campuses.

However, it has come to our attention that certain individuals, who are neither elected nor recognized by any legitimate student body or appointed by the leadership and the general students as representatives of each campus, are now attempting to hijack the scholarship process. These imposters are parading themselves as representatives of Kwara State law students at the Nigerian Law School.

Their goal is simple: to divert attention from the structured and inclusive facilitation that NAKLAS provides, and instead lobby for selective scholarship disbursement — prioritizing only the “regular set” of students, while deliberately excluding the backlog set. This is dangerous, given that the government traditionally pays scholarships once a year, and any exclusion at this stage would permanently disadvantage the backlog students. We also want to sound a final note of warning to the individuals before we reveal their identity and expose their agenda.

We also got the information that when these elements were confronted by some staff of the Ministry of Tertiary Education and some members of the Kwara State Scholarship Board that the only body recognised by the government and which has been engaging the Kwara state government for years is NAKLAS, they responded by saying the leadership of NAKLAS only represents undergraduate law students, while they are representatives of the students of the Nigerian law school. Were they elected or appointed across the seven campuses of the Nigerian Law School? The answer is NO. Rather, they are a group of friends and allies sabotaging the efforts of our dear Association.

To set the record straight, the National Association of Kwara State Law Students (NAKLAS) is the umbrella body representing all law students of Kwara State origin. As previously stated, NAKLAS is the only association officially recognized by both the government and Kwara State law students—at both undergraduate level and the Nigerian Law School—as the body championing their collective interests.

One of the core objectives of the association is to facilitate scholarship opportunities for Nigerian Law School students, working in collaboration with the government and distinguished individuals. Since its revival in 2019, the association has made significant strides in this regard.

Notably, through an employment partnership between NAKLAS and Omaplex Law Firm, Abuja—spearheaded by its Managing Partner, O. M. Atoyebi, SAN, a distinguished Kwara indigene and one of Nigeria’s youngest Senior Advocates who also serves as the Association’s Senior Legal Adviser—NAKLAS successfully secured employment opportunities for several new wigs of Kwara origin who graduated with commendable academic records between 2020 and 2021.

Furthermore, in accordance with the NAKLAS Constitution, the leadership of the association is not restricted to undergraduate law students, unlike many other student unions. In fact, only final-year law students or students currently enrolled at the Nigerian Law School are eligible to contest for the office of the President.

During our recent courtesy visit to the Honourable Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, we were formally received and introduced by the Scholarship Board’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anyansola. We were also informed that the file for the 2023/2024 Law School Scholarship is currently at the final stage, awaiting the Governor’s approval. This was a moment of joy, but one that is now being threatened by the disruptive actions of these unauthorized actors.

Initially, we believed that the delay in scholarship disbursement might have been due to the recent cabinet reshuffle and assumed that the Commissioner might be unfamiliar with the existing structure and convention. Unfortunately, further engagements have revealed that some elements are willfully disregarding the established process and enabling these imposters — thus creating confusion and unnecessary delays.

We are therefore calling on the Honourable Commissioner for Tertiary, Kwara State Scholarship Board, Special adviser to the Governor on Students’ matters as well as the general public to take immediate notice of this development as we urge them to restore the standard procedure through which the scholarship has always been disbursed — via NAKLAS (NHQ).

This is the only body with the legitimacy, track record, and structural network across all campuses to ensure inclusive and transparent scholarship facilitation for both regular and backlog law school students.

It is also imperative to alert all Kwara law students and the general public that these imposters were never elected, appointed, or endorsed by any recognized body. They are self-appointed individuals moving from one government office to another, pushing agendas that do not represent the collective interest of Kwara law students.

We remain committed to serving the best interests of every Kwara law student, and we urge all stakeholders to stand with us to protect the integrity of student representation in the state.

E-signed:
AbdulRauf AbdulBasit,
National President, NAKLAS, (NHQ),
+2348090617514

E-signed:
Sidiq AbdulAfeez,
Gen. Secretary, NAKLAS (NHQ)
+234 813 118 3521

E-signed:
Imam Abdulsamad Oladimeji, Director of Media & Publicity, +2349016691778.

For all and on behalf of:
Executive Council of National Association of Kwara State Law Students(National headquarters) 2024/2025 Session.

CC:

1. Office of the Hon. Commissioner for Tertiary Education.
2. Kwara State Scholarship Board
3. Office of the Honourable Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Kwara State on Students’ Matters.