Buhari’s Ex-aide, Jumoke Oduwole Bags New Appointment

Jumoke Oduwole, a former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has bagged an appointment with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in the United States.

Naija News reports that Oduwole was first appointed as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment in 2015; and later as Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business in 2019.

Oduwole also served as the pioneer Secretary to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

In a statement on Tuesday, Professor Richard Zeckhauser, Faculty of Political Economy at the institution, announced Oduwole’s appointment as a senior fellow.

Zeckhauser said Oduwole will work with the institution’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

The professor added that during her time at Harvard Kennedy School, Oduwole will interrogate the role of businesses in strengthening government reforms.

He, however, stated that the Nigerian was appointed after undergoing “a rigorous screening process from a large and strong pool of globally acclaimed high achievers”.

He said: “Only a few individuals are invited to be senior fellows each year. We believe that you will make a valuable contribution to the center, to Harvard Kennedy School, to Harvard more generally, and to effective public policy.”

Oduwole studied law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and was called to the Nigerian bar. She also holds a master of laws (LL.M) from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; as well as a JSM and a JSD respectively from Stanford Law School in the US.

Prior to her appointment by Buhari, Oduwole taught International Economic Law at the University of Lagos.

In 2022, she was appointed as governance advisor to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Governance Lab for her innovative strides in governance.