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3,460 Students Grauate from Law SchoolCouncil of Legal Education on Tuesday charged Nigerian varsities to be involved in the ongoing law reforms embarked upon by the Federal Government to achieve the desired impact. Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Tahir Mamman, gave the charge at the call to bar ceremony organised by the school for the 3,460 law graduates who are being admitted to the Nigerian Bar. Mamman said the school has started taking steps in facilitating the extension of the reforms to law faculties in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the universities themselves. While noting that the Law School fine-tunes law graduates in the practice and procedures of the law profession, the DG said the school has taken a first step by establishing a platform called, "the Conference of Deans of Law of accredited universities."He said it was inaugurated last week by the Chief Justice Of Nigeria (CJN), Idris Legbo Kutigi, and supported by Justices of the Supreme Court, top hierarchy of the Bar as well as representative of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).Mamman also disclosed that the Nigerian Law School has begun the implementation of the new curriculum, which has been in pipeline since the last two years.

Nigeria Moves to Curb Global Crisis
TO insulate the economy from the global economic meltdown, a meeting of National Economic Council (NEC), which met under the chairmanship of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday canvassed for closer co-operation between the federal and state governments. NEC is the umbrella body for the nation's Economic Management Team (EMT) and the governors of the 36 states. The meeting was held at the request of the governors, who were worried about the effects of the global economic crisis on the Nigerian economy. However, after the meeting, the Governor of Central Bank (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, briefed journalists along with Governors Bukola Saraki (Kwara) and Peter Obi (Anambra). They explained that the forum reviewed the potential threats facing the nation over the global economic crisis, measures put in place to deal with the momentum and why Nigeria escaped the direct impact of the crisis. Saraki, who is also the chairman of the Governor's Forum, said that with the price of crude oil in the international market at its current rate, "there is need to tighten our belt for 2009." But he added that Nigeria is in a better position now than it was in 1982 when the fall in price of oil triggered a downturn in the economy.

Decay of Health Systemin Zimbabwe
TRUCKLOADS of riot police were yesterday deployed outside Harare's main hospital to prevent scores of doctors and nurses from marching in protest at the state of Zimbabwe's collapsing health system. Many of the group of around 100 health professionals took off their shoes to dance and sing in the parking lot of Parirenyatwa Hospital, vowing to stay away from work until a recent outbreak of cholera is brought under control. About 50 people, according to reports, are believed to have died of cholera this month, according to health officials, due to the rapid break down in sanitation in many parts of the capital. The protesters were also demanding that the government review their salaries which have failed to keep pace with sky-rocketing inflation. Some of the protesters held posters reading: "Enough is enough" and "Pay health workers properly." Zimbabwe's health system, once among the best in Africa, has collapsed under the weight of the world's highest inflation rate, last estimated in July at 231 million percent, with many hospitals unable to provide even basic medicines.