What might be stalling the Cameroon Bar Examinations?
By Nde Laura
The need for more Lawyers is currently on the rise given the increase in conflict and crime rates in the country. How then can the country ensure access to justice without Lawyers? For several years now the authorities concerned have failed to launch the Cameroon bar examinations and this has made Lawyers t ask many questions.
With Over 10,000 law graduates who look forward to these exams, some have sought other options like enrolling in Law schools in neighboring countries like Nigeria and Rwanda of which they go through cumbersome expenses just to get sworn in, CNA learned.
Those who cannot afford the means to travel to other countries are left with no option but to divert to other professions, and many have been left frustrated.
According to Nformi Ronald Ngeh, Barrister and solicitor at the Supreme Court of Cameroon and Nigeria, no concrete reason has been given by the authorities why these exams have not been launched. He wonders why exams into the national school of magistracy and administration, ENAM is been launched every year but the bar examinations are an exemption.
“ I think the major problem is the centralization of power … The Bar should be empowered to organize their exams… the Bar should also do more in pressuring the government to launch these exams,”. he told CNA in an interview.
To him, the Cameroonian Bar is gradually becoming a laughing stock as compared to other Bars in neighboring countries “ I think somehow it suppressed our Bar too much in the sense that we have to beg to have lawyers added to our numbers which is a terrible situation…,”
According to some Lawyers, this is a strategy used by the government in suppressing the powers of the Bar.
“ It highlights how helpless the Bar is in the face of the government and indicates the lack of will on the part of the government through its minister of Justice to foster respect of the rule of law.,”. Barrister Ronald explained.
According to him the insufficient number of Lawyers has caused senior Lawyers to be overtasked “the situation further weakens the Bar as new Lawyers are supposed to come in to give strength to the senior ones but this is not happening. It is a serious problem for the Cameroonian Bar,”
In December 2022, some Lawyers dragged the Minister of Justice, Laurent Esso to court, for failing to launch the Bar exams.
They accused him of going against decree No. 91/305 of 4th July 1991, sections 1 and 2 which states that the aptitude test into pupilage at the Bar shall be organized every year in the month of December and the Minister of Justice shall lay down the conditions, state the date and place as well as publish the list of the candidates. However, no concrete information has been revealed on how the case unfolded.
The Bar exams aim to qualify advocates in training and admissions into the institution. Although the law provides that the examinations be organized every year, that has not been the case for the past 9 years since it was lastly launched in 2014 in Cameroon.
