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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr Olugbemisola Odusote as the new Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, making her the first woman to head the 62-year-old institution.
The appointment, announced on Tuesday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, takes effect from January 10, 2026, for a four-year term. She succeeds Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, whose tenure as Director-General ends on January 9 after eight years in office.
Odusote, 57, is currently the Deputy Director-General and Head of the Lagos Campus of the Nigerian Law School. With her elevation, she breaks a long male-only succession line at an institution that has trained generations of Nigerian lawyers since its establishment in 1962.
A product of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Odusote obtained her LL.B and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. She later earned an LL.M from the same university with a specialisation in company and commercial law, and subsequently completed a PhD in Law at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, focusing on public law and the administration of justice.
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She joined the Nigerian Law School as a lecturer in 2001 and has since risen through the ranks, serving as Head of Academic Department, Director of Academics, and Head of Campus before her appointment as Deputy Director-General. She also had a brief stint as a visiting scholar at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.
Beyond teaching and administration, Odusote has built a strong academic profile, publishing in reputable local and international law journals and presenting papers at several legal education conferences. She has also served on key committees of the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Bar Association, giving her insider familiarity with the governance structure of legal training in the country.
As Director-General, she will assume overall academic and administrative leadership of the Nigerian Law School across all its campuses. Her brief includes providing strategic direction for legal education and serving as the principal link between the institution and key legal bodies such as the Council of Legal Education, the Body of Benchers, and the Nigerian Bar Association.
