Meet Our Judges

MISBAU ALAMU LATEEF

Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

Misbau Alamu LATEEF is a post-doctoral legal researcher and full-time faculty member in the Department of Business Law, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. In summer 2018, he was at Columbia Law School, Columbia University, New York, United States of America, as an invited Visiting Scholar and Participant in the U.S Business Law Academy (UBLA) Program at the Law School. Previously, he had also attended and participated in International academic conferences and symposia at Harvard Law School (2014), Yale Law School (2015), Dubai (2015), and India (2017), amongst others. His scholarly interests centre primarily on corporate law and governance, which he teaches both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Also, he teaches energy law both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has a strong interest in the intersection of corporate law, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and development.

He obtained his LL.B Degree from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in 2007 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2008. He obtained his Master’s LL.M Degree from University of Lagos, Akoka, in 2011. He was appointed as a Lecturer I at OAU in April 2013. He obtained from OAU his Master of Philosophy in Law (M.Phil.) in 2016 and Doctor of Philosophy in law (Ph.D.) in 2019. As a law teacher, he understands the place of mentorship in his work and makes conscious efforts to mentor his students compassionately. He demonstrates professional behaviour and encourages his students to approach their studies as they would their future professional life: by being prepared and polished as possible. He finds ways to explicitly link the learning in his courses to real life, using his practical courtroom and legal clinic experiences to bring authenticity to doctrines.

He has published articles in peer-reviewed local and international law journals. Similarly, he has made chapter contributions to a number of published books. Presently, he is part of an elaborate academic and professional efforts (project) to write and publish a new company law text in Nigeria that will capture the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 as well as other modern developments on corporate law and governance.

SANDRA VODA EZOKE, ChMC

Formerly known as Sandra Chukwurah, Sandra is a Legal practitioner and Law lecturer at the University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. She is also an Associate Chartered Mediator & Conciliator from the Institute of Chartered Mediation and Conciliation (ICMC) Nigeria and a Chartered Arbitrator with the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb). She is a member of the Nigerian Debating Community (NDC) and has partaken in various National and International Debates as speaker and adjudicator. She is also a member of the Young Leadership Initiative (YALI) and AIESEC Nigeria.

She has volunteered with various Non-governmental Organizations and also works as a freelance writer and editor, as well as a Public Speaker, Debater and Comperé. Sandra is passionate about Women and Child Rights, Global peace and quality education, hence her budding NGO - VoSan Foundation.

She enjoys travelling, reading, football and cooking.

Dr COLLINS C. AJIBO

PhD Manchester, LLM Manchester, BL, LLB Nigeria

Dr Collins C. Ajibo (PhD Manchester, LLM Manchester, BL, LLB Nigeria) is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Property Law, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Nigeria; and Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The author’s research interests cover International Economic Law and Financial Market and Regulation.

The author has published extensively in these areas as shown by his Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=s0Fx9OkAAAAJ&hl=en. Some of the author’s publications are:

• 1.
  Collins C. Ajibo, International Investment Law: National, Regional and Global Perspectives (Nijmegen Netherlands: Wolf Legal Publishers, 2020);
• 2.
  Collins C. Ajibo, “African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement: the Euphoria, Pitfalls and Prospects” (2019) 53(5) Journal of World Trade 871–894;
• 3.
  Chidebe M. Nwankwo and Collins C. Ajibo, “Liberalizing Regional Trade Regimes through AfCFTA: Challenges and Opportunities” (2020) 64(3) Journal of African Law 297 – 318.

IKENNA CHRISTIAN OKOLI

LLB, BL, LLM

Ikenna Christian Okoli graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria in 2016 as the best graduating male student, and teaches Company Law and Law of Taxation in the same Faculty. He is Editorial Board Member of Nigerian Juridical Review and author of the books, The Change Begins With Me and I am a Nigerian, and I’m Proud to be.

Professor Abugu

SAN, PhD, LLM

Professor Abugu, SAN studied at the Centre for Business Studies, Royal Hill, Greenwich, London, 1983/1984. He graduated from University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1988. He was called to the Nigerian Bar, December 1989. He began his practice in the renowned firm of Abdulai, Taiwo & Co. Solicitors, Lagos.

He graduated LL.M, University of Lagos, Nigeria in 1991 and PhD (Commercial Law) in 2003. He worked briefly in the banking industry and joined the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos in 1995. His special interest is in Company and Securities law and was elevated Professor of Commercial & Industrial Law in October 2012.

He is widely travelled and knowledgeable in the mechanics of the financial markets. He served as Examiner in Business Law, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, 1996-2000. He was in 2020 conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Professor Abugu, SAN is the Principal consultant in the law firm of ABUGU & CO., SOLICITORS, which he established in 1995. The firm majors in corporate consultancy and commercial litigation. He is in active practice as a Capital market Solicitor and Consultant. Professor Abugu, SAN is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Law Teachers Association as well as the Nigerian Institute of Management.

Books authored by Professor Abugu, SAN:

• 1.
  COMPANY SECURITIES: LAW & PRACTICE, University of Lagos Press, 2005;
• 2.
  A TREATISE ON THE APPLICATION OF ILO CONVENTIONS IN NIGERIA, University of Lagos Press, 2009;
• 3.
  FOUNDATIONS OF CORPORATE LAW, University of Lagos Press, 2011;
• 4.
  PRINCIPLES OF CORPORATE LAW IN NIGERIA, MIJ Professional Publishers, 2015.

Professor Taofeeq Abdulrazaq

PhD, LLM

Professor Taofeeq Abdulrazaq is Chief Executive Officer in Nolands Nigeria Professional Services and Professor of Taxation, Faculty of Law, Lagos State University. He was Partner/Regional Tax Leader, Ernst & Young (West Africa) and had also worked at Deloitte as Director, Tax Services and at PricewaterhouseCoopers as Senior Tax Manager.

He is a Professor of Taxation and was Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He had also been the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and was a member of the Value Added Tax Tribunal.

Professor Abdulrazaq’s extensive knowledge in tax spans over 30 years. His tax experience covers the full range of services in corporate tax advisory services, indirect tax services and international tax services. He has written many articles, monographs and books on Nigerian Taxation in both local and International academic and professional journals and he is a frequent speaker at various tax seminars and conferences at both local and international levels. He is also the Provost of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria Academy.

Professor Abdulrazaq has LL.B (Hons); Ph.D (Tax Law) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and LL.M (Tax) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) of the University of London. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London, U.K. and a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

He is also a Member of the Chartered Management Institute, UK, and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria as well as the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). He is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), UK.

Mr. Seni Adio

SAN, LLM

Mr. Seni Adio, SAN is the Managing Partner of COPLEY PARTNERS, Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He is equally an Attorney-at-Law in the State of New York and Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States of America.

Notably, before returning to Nigeria. Mr. Adio, SAN practiced law at the international law firm, MINTZ LEVIN, in Boston, Massachusetts, where he achieved the remarkable feat of becoming a Litigation Partner.

While in the United States, he counselled multinational publicly-held conglomerates and private companies on various matters, including but not limited to, Fiduciary Law and Corporate Governance; Securities Laws; Legislative and Regulatory Matters before the U.S. Congress; Real Estate Valuation and Tax Abatement; Immigration; Intellectual Property Law; Internet Technology and Security; Insurance and Coverage Disputes; and Business Torts (including Unfair Trade Practices, Commercial Libel and Breach of Contract).

Since returning to practice in Nigeria, Mr. Adio, SAN has complemented his business litigation background with extensive expertise in Admiralty (Maritime), Energy (Oil and Gas), Telecommunications, and Capital Markets transactions and counselling. He is also duly registered with the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a Capital Markets Solicitor.

Seni has provided commentaries on issues of business, law, and racial diversity to various multimedia outfits, including the Associated Press (AP), CBS Marketwatch, the Boston Magazine and the Washington, DC based Metropolitan Corporate Counsel Magazine. He is active in civic organizations, and has served as a Trustee or Director on the Boards of various non-profit institutions in the academic, healthcare, economic-empowerment, and ecumenical spheres. He has also been a speaker at numerous international conferences and seminars, including the American Bar Association Annual Meeting; The U.S. Department of Commerce *PTI* Conference; and The Harvard Business School Africa Business Conference.

He is a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Member of the Governing Council and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the NBA Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), and Chairman of the Committee on Consumer Protection and Products Liability Law of the NBA-SBL. He also served as a Member of the Committee on the Review of the Constitution of the NBA, which amongst other reforms, introduced e-voting for elections into National Offices.

Seni is a member of other various professional organisations, and an alumnus of the Boston Chapter of the prestigious National Conference for Community and Justice (“NCCJ”). He obtained his Bachelor of Laws with honours (LL.B Hons.) from The University of Buckingham, United Kingdom and his Master of Laws (LL.M Taxation) from Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

He is an avid runner and successfully completed two Boston Marathons.

Hon. Justice Nelson Chukwudi Stevens Ogbuanya

LLM

Prior to His Lordship’s appointment as a Judge of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in July 2017, he was a Senior Lecturer with the Nigerian Law School, where he has been teaching Corporate Law Practice and Professional Ethics & Skills (ICT, Arbitration & ADR Practice) in Lagos Campus since September 2005, and until elevation to the Bench, he was the Head of Department of Corporate Law Practice at the Yola Campus (2015-2017).

Hon. Justice N.C.S Ogbuanya attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos (1997) and was called to the Nigerian Bar in February 1998. He holds Bachelor of Laws, LL.B (Hons) of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (1996), Master of Laws (LL.M) from the University of Lagos (2000) and Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDEd.) from the University of Lagos (2008). He was admitted as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb.) and Fellow (FCIArb.) London (2000 & 2020). He is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (ACTI) (2011). He started his legal career from National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the Law Firm of Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, and spent 7 years in active private practice and 12 years in combined academics and practice before joining the Bench.

In the course of a distinguished practical and academic career, before his elevation to the Bench, Justice Ogbuanya, has been involved in consulting, teaching, researching and handling various aspects of corporate and commercial transactions/litigation, industrial & labour relations practice, as well as Arbitration & ADR matters. He also worked as a Local Partner/Consultant (Nigeria) with the IFC/ World Bank Project Team in charge of preparing the “DOING BUSINESS REPORT”(2011, 2013,2014 and 2017 ), which benchmarks business regulations (inclusive of labour practices and employment conditions) in 189 economies worldwide. He also served as an Expert Contributor (Nigeria) for World Justice Project, which publishes the Global Rule of Law Index. In 2002, he was enlisted as a Panel Member of the Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, Lagos, and in 2006, appointed Member of the Panel of Neutrals (Arbitration) by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), for resolution of interconnectivity disputes among GSM Operators in Nigeria. He was appointed as Arbitrator/ Member of Arbitral Tribunal in several local and international Ad-Hoc and Institutional Arbitral Tribunals. In 2013, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria as a Notary Public for Nigeria. Among other scholarly publications, he is the Author of the Council of Legal Education-Approved Text Book: Essentials of Corporate Law Practice in Nigeria (2010, 2nd Ed.2014).

While His Lordship was at the Bar, he was an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch, where he served as Publicity Secretary (2009-2011) and 1st Vice- Chairman & Chairman, Human Rights Committee (2013-2015). He was co-opted member of the NBA National Executive Committee (NBA-NEC) (2014-2016) and Member, NBA Constitution Committee that produced the NBA Constitution 2015. He also served as the American Bar Association (Section of International Law) (ABA-SIL) Liaison to the Nigerian Bar Association & Country Representative for Nigeria (2013-2017).

On assumption of judicial duties, His Lordship served as the pioneer Presiding Judge of the Yola Judicial Division; Visiting Judge, Lagos Judicial Division, and is currently of the Port Harcourt Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).

Hon. Justice Nelson Ogbuanya is happily married and blessed with children.