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Student Stories


 

Yahaya Usman-Wowo

 

Nigeria

LLM International and Commercial Dispute Resolution

Graduation Year - 2006

 

I come from a beautiful town called Gwargwada in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. I attended the famous Ahmadu Bello University Zaria; the largest citadel of knowledge south of the sub-Sahara, east of the Niger and north of the Limpopo. After which I advanced to the Nigerian Law School, the first its kind and one of the most sophisticated in West Africa.      

 

Having been privileged to have attended some of the best educational establishments of my time in the entire West African sub-region, the University of Westminster was just a natural progression, being itself one of the best international institutions in the UK. and indeed in the world at large.

 

The University parades, among several other unique qualities, an array of internationally relevant, topical and contemporary academic programmes that are not only significant at this age and time, but for many years to come. For instance, it is among the very few institutions with an LLM programme in Dispute Resolution (a very topical issue), and indeed the only one, to my knowledge, with a specialisation in international commercial dispute resolution in the UK. Therefore, it is a great preparation for building and developing potential manpower and intellectual consultants for world organizations such as the UN, the World Bank, IMF, the EU, the ICJ and so on.

 

This qualification will definitely improve my career as a lawyer and provide excellent opportunities for me in my country Nigeria, and beyond.

 

The broad-based and international admission policy of the institution is what I liked best about Westminster. My colleagues came from different parts of the world, which offered us an opportunity to learn about our different cultures and exchange visits to our various countries during the breaks. In fact, we often made a joke that the English students in the class were the foreigners, because they were quite few. We have however, established a bond that will definitely go places in years to come. The school is truly an international institution indeed.

 

Being in central London,  the social life of the university is excellent and limitless.

 

It is only a short distance from some of the most important historical sites that have influenced the history and culture of the UK, such as the famous Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the British Museum, the Tate Art Gallery, and lots more. Above all, the friendly atmosphere provided by both academic and non academic staff make the learning environment even more exciting.  

 

I will like to advise students all over the world to attend the University of Westminster and avail themselves a unique blend of social experience and academic excellence - one that I have immensely benefited from and will cherish for a very long time to come.

 

I must say finally, that I will always be a proud product of the University of Westminster for life. Thank you Westminster.