A Nigerian-born legal scholar at the University of Oxford, Professor Dapo Akande, has earned one of the most distinguished endorsements in international legal circles, with the United Kingdom nominating him as its candidate for election to the International Law Commission and its then Foreign Secretary describing him as one of the finest legal minds the country has produced.
The nomination, covering the 2023–2027 term of the ILC, was championed by Dominic Raab, who served as the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and who made no effort to conceal the weight of the endorsement he was offering.
“Not only is Professor Akande one of the finest legal scholars in the UK, he is also a world-renowned expert in public international law, as both an academic and independent practitioner,” Raab said, adding that Akande’s more than 25 years of experience made him “exceptionally well-qualified” to serve on the Commission.
From Ibadan to Oxford
Akande’s journey to the heights of global legal scholarship began in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he was born and raised. He completed his undergraduate legal education at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, before qualifying as a lawyer in Nigeria a foundation that would eventually underpin a career spanning some of the world’s most consequential legal institutions.
He began his professional life as a research assistant to Bola Ajibola, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, before charting a course into international academia that would culminate in his appointment as Professor of Public International Law at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
A Career of Global Reach
The breadth of Akande’s professional engagement is considerable. He has served as counsel or adviser in proceedings before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the World Trade Organisation, the International Criminal Court, and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as in domestic court proceedings involving questions of public international law.
Beyond litigation, he has functioned as a consultant to a formidable array of international organisations among them the United Nations, the African Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the International Criminal Court, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the Commonwealth Secretariat. His scholarly output spans more than 60 published works across a broad range of international legal subjects, and he sits on the advisory or editorial boards of international law journals across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
Britain’s Endorsement and Its Significance
In putting Akande forward for the ILC, the United Kingdom was not merely nominating an individual it was staking its own longstanding reputation within the body on his suitability. Raab framed it in precisely those terms. “The UK has always been a strong supporter of the International Law Commission and is proud of the contribution that British international lawyers have made to its work,” he said. “I believe that Professor Akande is perfectly positioned to strengthen this contribution yet further.”
For Nigeria, the recognition carries its own significance. Akande’s trajectory from an undergraduate degree at a Nigerian university to the endorsement of a G7 government for one of international law’s most prestigious appointments stands as a testament to the calibre of talent the country continues to export to the global stage, even as domestic institutions struggle to retain and reward such excellence at home.
His story joins a growing canon of Nigerian-born academics, scientists, and professionals who have risen to distinction in foreign institutions, prompting recurring conversations about the conditions necessary to nurture equivalent achievement within Nigeria itself.
