Court Joins Education Ministry In Suit Against Exams On Saturdays

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has joined the federal ministry of education in a suit filed by a Seventh-day Adventist member seeking to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays.

The court also joined the Council of Legal Education in the suit following an application by the plaintiff that the two agencies be joined in the suit.

A member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mr Ugochukwu Uchenwa, filed a legal action seeking an order of court to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays.

At the resumed hearing of the matter, yesterday, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Benjamin Amaefule told the court that he had an application for joinder pending in court.

Amaefule told the court that the application which was filed on March 29 and brought pursuant to the  relevant authority was seeking the joinder of Counsel for Legal Education and the Federal Ministry of Education to the suit.

The lawyer told the court that he had attached relevant exhibits to the application to show that the council was conducting examinations on Saturdays.

He said that the ministry of education was being joined to the suit since all education institutions were under it to stop universities and other institutions of higher learning in the country from conducting academic activities on non-academic days.

He sought six reliefs from the court but the judge, Justice James Omotosho granted only four of the reliefs.

The respondents listed in the suit are: the President, the Attorney -General of the Federation, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the West African Examination Council, (WAEC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Others are the National Examination Council (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NTBE) and the Council of Legal Education and the Ministry of Education.

Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter until October 23, 2023, for hearing.