Nigerian-British Professor Elected International Court Of Justice Judge

Nigerian-British international law scholar, Professor Dapo Akande, has been elected a judge of the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

Akande, a professor of public international law at the University of Oxford, is expected to serve a nine-year term beginning in February 2027 and ending in 2036.

His election marks a significant milestone in his international legal career and brings a Nigerian-born scholar to the world’s principal judicial body.

Akande was nominated by the United Kingdom for the position.

The professor already boasts a 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.

In a statement reacting to Akande’s election, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He described 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.