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Justice Abiodun Akinyemi of the Court of Appeal (JCA) is set to deliver the keynote address at PrivCon 2026, scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 1st September 2026, at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Titled, “From Unfamiliarity to Competence: The Role of the Judiciary in Advancing Privacy and Data Protection Rights in Nigeria,” Justice Akinyemi is expected to explore how Nigerian courts have moved from limited exposure to privacy-related disputes toward a more developed understanding of data protection law, and what this shift means for the enforcement of privacy rights going forward.
The keynote comes at a time when Nigeria’s data protection regime, anchored by the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, continues to take shape through regulatory guidance and an emerging body of case law. Legal observers say the judiciary’s interpretation of the Act will play a decisive role in determining how effectively individuals can enforce their privacy rights and how organizations are held accountable for data handling practices.
This year’s edition of PrivCon carries the theme “Privacy Architecture #EveryBrickCounts#,” a framing organizers say speaks to the incremental, collective effort required to build a functional privacy ecosystem in Nigeria spanning regulators, businesses, technologists, legal practitioners, and the courts.
Justice Akinyemi’s participation adds a judicial voice to a conference that typically draws regulators, lawyers, compliance professionals, and industry stakeholders, and signals continued interest from the bench in engaging directly with the practical challenges of data protection enforcement.
PrivCon 2026 is expected to feature a broader lineup of speakers and sessions, with further programme details to be announced ahead of the event.
Born on June 6, 1960, Justice Akinyemi, who was a judge of the Ogun State High Court for 20 years spanning June 2004 and July 2024, prior to his elevation to the Court of Appeal, attended United Christian Secondary School, Apapa, Lagos between 73-77 before proceeding to St Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos for his Higher School Certificate from 77 to 79.
He was also at the University of Lagos for his law degree where he passed out with a second class upper division for his LLB from 79-82. He repeated same feat of second class upper division at the Nigerian Law School which he attended between 82-83. He also bagged an LLM at the University of Lagos in 1985.
He was winner, National Merit Award, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos 80-82. He was also winner, Serkin Jaja Amachree Prize, and winner, Teslim Olawale Elias Prize of the same faculty in 1982.
He had a stint at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice for his NYSC from 83-84 before joining Gani Fawehinmi Chambers between 84-87, where he rose to the position of deputy head of chambers. He was partner, Abudu, Akinyemi & Ogunde Solicitors & Advocates from 87-1999 and principal partner, Abiodun Akinyemi & Co from 99-2004 before his appointment as Judge of the Ogun State High Court.
An assistant editor, “Digest of Supreme Court Cases 1956-1984”, he was also deputy editor, “Nigerian Weekly Law Report, 1984.1990”. He’s also author of the “Land Litigation in Nigeria Practice & Procedure”.
A Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators, Justice Akinyemi has delivered several papers at conferences and published articles on various Law subjects.
