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It was a glamorous night recently for former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Adebayo Ojo, SAN. He was honoured with the inaugural International Law Achievement Award by the International Law Association (ILA), Nigerian Branch.
The award was presented to the legal luminary at the President’s Dinner and Award Night, organised as part of the 6th Annual Law Conference of the ILA held in Lagos.
Founded in Brussels in 1873, the ILA now has some 3,500 members in 45 national and regional branches around the world. The headquarters is in London under the leadership of Professor Christine Chinkin. ILA’s objective, under its constitution, is to promote the ‘study, clarification and development of international law’. ILA has consultative status with a number of the United Nations specialised agencies.
More than 100 persons attended the event, both in person and online. Several dignitaries and leading international law experts were also in attendance at the dinner. They include the president of the association, Professor Damilola Olawuyi, SAN, Dr. Edward Kwakwa, Assistant Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, Switzerland. Also there were members of the judiciary including the wife of the honoree, Honorable Justice Folashade Ojo of the Court of Appeal, Honorable Justice Adedotun Ademola Onibokun of the Osun State High Court, Director of the Nigeria Country Office of WIPO, Dr. Oluwatobiloba Moody, and the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Professor Mohammed Tawfiq Ladan.
The event featured a keynote conversation with the honoree, moderated by Joke Aliu, a co-managing partner at Aluko and Oyebode. The conversation session reflected upon the extraordinary career of Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN who rose from humble beginnings to become State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice and subsequently a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, former Attorney General of the Federation (2005-2007), notable arbitrator, President African Arbitration Association 2007, and former member of the United Nations International Law Commission.
Speaking at the event, Chief Bayo Ojo noted that his passion and interest in a career in international law began when he studied international law as a course in the university, noting that his knowledge of international law contributed immensely to his success as the Minister of Justice.
President of ILA Nigeria and Vice Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Professor Olawuyi presented the award on behalf of the branch. He asserted that the exemplary record of dedication and service of Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN makes him a worthy recipient of this year’s inaugural award.
“Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN is a highly revered international law tactician who has traversed the practice of both public and private international law. His remarkable record of service to Nigeria, the global community and most importantly to the legal profession is indeed a great source of pride and inspiration to all of us. His remarkable success story as an international commercial arbitrator will undoubtedly propel and motivate the next generation for many years to come, and we feel so honored that he agreed to share his experience and story with us tonight.” Professor Olawuyi SAN said.
