Hey! Kindly introduce yourself to our readers

Hey guys, I am Umar Folarin, and I just finished from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus. You can contact me on twitter and Instagram via the username:‘omarr_bf’, ladies only please, just kidding. Guys can contact me as well.


How did you feel when you saw your NLS campus posting?

I was in the category of people who got late admission. There was a little tension as a result of this because most of my friends had seen their names on the law school website already. The tension was so much my parents thought it got me depressed. In the end, I was just glad my name came out and I got posted to Lagos, while those around me, who were also in my shoes, were being flung to Enugu, Kano and Bayelsa.


How was the resumption and registration process?

Like I mentioned earlier, I got late admission so I did not get to do my registration with about a thousand people. I did it during the December break, after a lot of people had gone home, and it was less stressful. I had a friend who got admission early and delayed his registration; he was just an irresponsible child. I don't advice you do this, I also do not advice you kill yourself over it either.


 Tell us about the accommodation? Are there any options, like different sizes of rooms with better amenities?

There are different categories of accommodation in Lagos Campus. There is the general accommodation of six (6) in a room, where you share a bathroom and toilet with 6 (six) adjoining roommates. This type of accommodation automatically comes with payment of the law school fees.


Then there is the executive accommodation. For the executive accommodation, you have to pay extra cash. The executive accommodation comes with an air conditioner, a small refrigerator, a plasma tv, Gotv and a DVD player. The executive accommodation is further categorized into different packages
• 2 (two) in a room, where you share a bathroom and toilet with 2 (two) adjoining roommates;
• 1 (one) in a room, where you share a bathroom and toilet with 1 (one) adjoining roommate;
• 1 (one) in a room, where you have your own bathroom and toilet to yourself.
The cost of the executive accommodation however varies in accordance with the desired package.


Please Note: Payment of school fees for law school is done by generating Remita code. The “Name of MDA” while generating a Remita code for the payment of your law school school fees should be “Council of Legal Education. However, if you opt for the executive accommodation, please be extra careful when making your payment. In generating a separate remitta code for the executive accommodation, “Name of MDA” should be “Nigerian Law School-Lagos Campus.” It can take months to get your money back if you make the mistake, and you will not be given the executive accommodation in consideration for your mistake.
You can also choose to come from home, if you think you can handle the stress.

Any contrabands not allowed in hostel?

Well, talking about contrabands, let me just say they do not search you when you move in. You can do whatever you want with that piece of information.


How long do lectures last for? How did you cope with those hours?

Lagos campus puts in the hours. So please come with your mat. They make provision for those that are tired and want to sleep in class for about 30-45 minutes. It would have been a-dream-come-true if there was any atom of truth in what you just read. I’m sorry but there are no provisions for those that want to sleep in class. Lectures start by 9 and end by 4 or so soon thereafter (you’ll soon get this). You also get a break of about 30-45 minutes, if you're lucky you can get an hour. It is really at the discretion of the lecturer. Also, you finish early on Fridays in comparison to other days.
It's tough getting used to the long hours. Sleep would occasionally call you; you cannot be rude and not answer. There were times when I dozed off, nodded in class and now started twisting and turning my neck as if it was on purpose. My coping mechanisms were the people around me and my phone (thank God I was never caught using it).


Did you ever have time to read before class or make notes?

I think it's important to know what works for you. You can wake up early enough to read before class and have an overview of the day’s topic. Then proceed to make your note after class, using the “learning outcomes” as a guide while making your notes. I did that on a couple of occasions, waking up to read before class.


Does your campus allow for printed handouts?

There is no outright ban on printed handouts. You'll get to hear of Ken’s notes, Viola’s notes amidst others, available in soft copy and hard copy. They were past students from the Nigerian law school who graduated with distinction. I had “Ken’s notes edited by Viola” and it was quite helpful.


Let's talk about the food? What are the good food spots around campus or in town?

Food was one of my major challenges in law school. The law school has a canteen, but their food was not very compatible with my stomach. I would advise you go to school with Flagyll, no jokes. It was a common problem but some people got used to it and I never did. The canteen has about 3 (three) different food vendors. There is also another canteen in the general hostel. Then ‘Sharwarma Xpress’, and ‘noodles place’. The canteen closes by 6, and the place gets filled up after class. Thank God for Chicken republic and their ‘Combo Meal’ of #500, it was my go-to. There are also restaurants like “The Place”, “Okele” around law school. The malls around also have food bars. Malls like ‘Spar’, ‘Hubmat’, ‘Grandsquare’, ‘Shoprite’. There are also indomie vendors who set up outside the hostels in the evening, I always got my indomie from “Mr Kay Noodles”, the guy with the blue tent, thank my later.


Any fun experiences you had during your stay? Share with us.

I was quite conservative, but there were a couple of fun experiences with friends. We watched late night movies, went to restaurants and played video games. Ooh we went for a friend’s sister’s wedding and it was a ‘lituation’.



What's the cost of living? Does one need 30 billion in the akant?

The cost of living is not low, but you don't need ‘taaarrtyy billion for the akantee ooh’, you only need like feefteen billion for the akant, haha jokes. Cost of living is not low, and not necessarily high unless you want to live the LAGOS BIG BOY LIFE.

You might like: How to Survive Yenagoa campus 

What's the preferred means of transportation? What's the transport fare from the airport?

I did not go to a lot of places, but to go to the restaurants and malls I mentioned above, Keke Napep is faster and cheaper. I say it's faster because you hardly get stuck in traffic with Keke as it can wriggle its way out of a traffic jam. Keke Napep is sweet when you're inside and the driver is on his best Vin Diesel behavior being all Fast and Furious, but when you're driving a car and a keke is in front of you, you'll feel like ramming it off the road because they can be that annoying. Be careful when you're in a keke to avoid pickpockets and avoid your stuff slipping out of your pockets. I had a friend who lost 2 (two) phones in a keke on 2 (two) different occasions. You are allowed to come with your car. You can also use Uber or Taxify to navigate your way around Lagos. Riding with uber from the airport to Nigerian law school costs between 2,400-3,000. However, it might exceed 3,000 by a bit if you get stuck in serious traffic. To be on the safe side, you can budget 4,000 for transport from the airport to law school.


What did you do to cool off after class or during the weekend?

I remember my first Friday on campus, I went to shoprite and bought some bottles of alcohol with 2 (two) of my friends. At night, I would occasionally pour myself a glass, walk to the end of the balcony on my floor, ears plugged with my earphones and just look out onto the express and the sea till the cup is empty, go back into the room, watch television and sleep. I did it on Fridays for like a month or two. I tried to read and drink hahahaha, it didn't work. I also cooled off with television and football matches. Let me tell you a secret ehn, I watched Arsenal’s match the day before I started exams.


Any strict rules on dressing to class?

Regulatory wear is black suit, or white shirt and black trouser for guys. Dark-blue suit in lieu of black suit or dark-blue trouser in lieu of black trouser is also allowed. Emphasis on dark-blue. However nothing short of a black suit is allowed for dinner. For girls black or dark-blue gown is allowed, no armless gown (if it's armless wear a blazer over it), black suit or dark-blue suit, white shirt and black (or dark-blue skirt). Muslims can wear hijabs on campus and to class.


What did you think about the 3 compulsory law school dinners?

The 3 (three) dinners are compulsory, and all aspirants to the bar must partake. It helps to groom your dinning etiquette. If you are not confident in your use of fork and knife and all, sit at the back where you can feel relaxed. Do not feel pressured.

Please do not miss the dinner. It begins by 5p.m, leave your hostel by 4:30p.m or before. Once the members of the body of benchers are seated and the dinner commences, no one will be allowed in.


Tips for preparing for bar finals, especially during externship?

I do not think I need to say much here. You will get enough advice from a lot of people, trust me. You’ll get tired even. Lagos campus will always keep you on your toes. Endeavor to go for classes and also thumbprint to mark your attendance. If you fall below a certain percentage you will not be eligible to write the exams. Read as many times as possible. Externship period is a period for intense reading. If you do not start reading before externship, you need to start during externship. If you start reading before externship, maintain your energy during externship. Read over and over again. Also, practice your drafts. You don't read drafts, you draft drafts. Draft as many times as possible. Go through past questions too. PLEASE, do not let anyone intimidate you with what they know.

Related: How to survive Kano Campus 

Please endeavor to go for revision classes, contact your friends in other campuses and ask them what was discussed or emphasized during revision, compile and use it as a guide. Also, DO NOT NEGLECT GOD. My mother always told me “read as if you have not prayed, pray as if you have not read.”
One more thing, please you need to sleep. Even during exams. 3-4 hours of sleep is enough. It must not be at a stretch. I would sleep for 2 hours (7-9 or 8-10), read till around 3 or 4, then sleep for about 2 hours or 1 hour 30 minutes. I won't advice you to stay up all night!


Any advice for someone about to enter the Nigerian Law school?

Law school (Bar Part II as its fondly called) is not a matter of life and death, try to enjoy it. I remember one of my lecturers said “Obedience is a prerequisite for success in Bar Part II”. Listen to and obey your lecturers. You will meet different classes of people, never despise or look down on anybody. Make friends and network because life continues after law school.
Pass or fail, life still continues. Of course nobody wants to fail on purpose, but it happens. There's the re-sit examination for those who do not pass the examination, so if one does not pass, it's not the end of the world as one has the opportunity to take the examination again. When you start practising, no one will ask you the number of times you wrote your Bar finals.


MOST IMPORTANTLY, DO NOT LET THE SPIRIT OF REMOTE USE YOU!! (You'll understand this statement after your first or second property law class).


Thank you so much Umar! Please reach out to him if you have any questions about Lagos campus.

See you in my next post. Xoxo.

Related: How to survive Nigerian Law School, Enugu campus

Find me on social media
Instagram: @sikethemakeupartist
Twitter: @justsike @bnb_ng
Facebook: Sike the makeup artist