JUSTIFICATION OF DEAN’S DECISION TO REMOVE LAWSAN PRESIDENT AND A PLEA FOR RECONSIDERATION

On April 28, 2025, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, issued an internal memorandum (Ref No: UA/FL/DN/) announcing the immediate removal of Mr. Kuatsea Shagbaor Joseph as President of the Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN) for gross misconduct. This decision has sparked inquiries among students regarding the Dean’s jurisdiction and the absence of a formal response from LAWSAN. As a seasoned journalist, lawyer, and writer, this analysis clarifies the legal and procedural basis for the Dean’s action while addressing the concerns raised.

Jurisdiction of the Dean to Remove the LAWSAN President

The authority of Prof. Uwakwe Abugu to dismiss the LAWSAN President is firmly grounded in the University of Abuja Students’ Handbook, specifically Chapter 8, page 92, under the section titled Students’ Associations, Clubs, and Societies. The handbook stipulates that Faculty/Departmental Associations, such as LAWSAN, are registered to promote academic activities among students pursuing related disciplines and are subject to control and oversight by their respective faculties or departments. The relevant provision states:

This provision unequivocally vests supervisory and regulatory authority in the Faculty, through the Dean, over student associations like LAWSAN. It establishes that the LAWSAN President, as a faculty-level leader, operates under the close monitoring and direction of the Dean, who is empowered to intervene in matters affecting the association’s leadership, particularly when such leadership fails to uphold the expected standards of character, integrity, and capacity.

Furthermore, the Dean’s memorandum explicitly references prior mediation efforts, as noted in paragraph 5, where a query was issued to Mr. Kuatsea Shagbaor Joseph, and his response was duly considered before the decision to remove him was made. This demonstrates adherence to principles of natural justice, including audi alteram partem, ensuring that the process was neither arbitrary nor capricious.

The Dean’s locus standi to take this decisive action is further reinforced by the Students’ Act of Nigeria, which governs student unions and associations in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The Act recognizes the authority of university administrators, including Deans, to intervene in the governance of student bodies where such intervention is necessary to maintain discipline, uphold institutional values, or address gross misconduct. The Dean’s action aligns with this statutory framework, as it was predicated on observed acts of ineptitude, lack of integrity, and incapacity, which constitute gross misconduct warranting summary dismissal.

Justification of the Decision

The decision of Prof. Uwakwe Abugu is both legally and procedurally justified. The University of Abuja Students’ Handbook explicitly grants the Dean supervisory control over faculty associations, while the prior issuance of a query and consideration of the response reflect a commitment to due process. Additionally, the Students’ Act of Nigeria provides the Dean with the requisite authority to act in the interest of maintaining the Faculty’s standards of leadership and decorum. The Dean’s invocation of the need for LAWSAN leadership to be “beyond reproach and above board” underscores his fiduciary duty to safeguard the Faculty’s reputation and the welfare of its students.

While the Dean’s decision is well-founded in law and procedure, we, the students of the Faculty of Law, humbly appeal to Prof. Uwakwe Abugu’s magnanimity and paternal discretion to reconsider the removal of Mr. Kuatsea Shagbaor Joseph. Recognizing the Dean’s commitment to fostering an environment conducive to academic and social excellence, we plead for leniency, urging that the former President be reinstated, potentially with conditions to address the identified shortcomings. Such an act of clemency would reinforce the Faculty’s values of fairness, redemption, and inclusivity, while maintaining the high standards of character and learning expected of all students.

The Dean’s authority to remove the LAWSAN President is indisputable, rooted in the University of Abuja Students’ Handbook, procedural fairness, and the Students’ Act of Nigeria. However, in the spirit of reconciliation and in deference to the collective voice of the student body, we respectfully implore the Dean to hearken to our plea and restore Comr. Kuatsea Shagbaor Joseph to his position, thereby fostering unity and progress within the Faculty of Law.