Nigerian-British Professor Dapo Akande Elected ICJ Judge
Nigerian-British Professor Dapo Akande Elected ICJ Judge
Nigerian-British international law professor, Dapo Akande, has been elected a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), marking a major milestone for Nigeria’s representation in the global judicial system.Buy Maps
Akande’s election to the principal judicial organ of the United Nations adds to his distinguished career in international law, academia and dispute resolution.
He is the Chichele Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford, a Fellow of All Souls College and a member of the United Nations International Law Commission.
The professor obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ife in 1992 and qualified as a barrister and solicitor in Nigeria in 1993.
He subsequently built an international career spanning legal scholarship, practice and international dispute resolution, advising governments and international organisations and appearing before several international courts and tribunals.
Reacting to the development, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing Akande’s election as another significant achievement for Nigeria at the United Nations.
Ibrahim said Nigeria had only one major milestone left to achieve what he described as its 100 per cent UN ambition: securing membership of the United Nations Security Council.
Akande was nominated by the United Kingdom for the ICJ position and is expected to serve a nine-year term from February 2027 to 2036.
