Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has been joined by the Federal Ministry of Education in a suit filed by a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church seeking to halt the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays. The Council of Legal Education has also been joined in the suit upon the plaintiff’s request.
Mr. Ugochukwu Uchenwa, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, initiated the legal action, seeking a court order to prohibit the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays. During the recent hearing of the case, the plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Benjamin Amaefule, informed the court about a pending application for joinder.
Amaefule explained that the application, filed on March 29, sought the inclusion of the Counsel for Legal Education and the Federal Ministry of Education in the suit. He presented relevant exhibits as evidence that the council was indeed conducting examinations on Saturdays. Furthermore, he argued that the Ministry of Education should be joined to prevent universities and other higher learning institutions from conducting academic activities on non-academic days, as it oversees all education institutions.
The plaintiff sought six reliefs from the court, but Justice James Omotosho granted only four of them. The respondents named in the suit include 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). Additionally, the National Examination Council (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NTBE), the Council of Legal Education, and the Ministry of Education were listed as respondents.
Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until October 23, 2023, for further hearings.
