Afe Babalola (born 30 October 1929) is a Nigerian lawyer and founder of

Afe Babalola University Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) is a private research university located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. It was founded by a lawyer and philanthropist, Afe Babalola, in 2009. Afe Babalola University offers Academic programs in six Colleges ...

Early life and education

Babalola was born in

Ado Ekiti Ado Ekiti is the capital city of Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is the Headquarters, headquarter of the Ekiti central senatorial district, Points of the compass, southwest, Nigeria. History Ado Ekiti is an ancient city, founded by Ewi Awamaro the ...

in Southern Nigeria (now in

Ekiti State Ekiti () is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the North by Kwara State for 61 km, to the Northeast by Kogi State for 92 km, to the South and Southeast by Ondo State, and to the West by Osun State for 84 km. Named for the Ekiti ...

). He enrolled for the Senior Cambridge School Certificate examination by private study from

Wolsey Hall, Oxford Founded in 1894, Wolsey Hall Oxford is one of the longest established homeschooling colleges in the world offering courses in primary, secondary, IGCSE and A level subjects to homeschoolers in more than 120 countries. Based in Oxford, England, W ...

. He later obtained the A’Level certificate of

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

before he proceeded to

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

where he received a bachelor's degree in Economics. After working at the

Central Bank of Nigeria The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the central bank and apex monetary authority of Nigeria established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on 1 July 1959. The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN Act are t ...

, he left to the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

where he obtained a bachelor's degree in law, and in 1963, he was called to the England bar, the same year he became a member of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Legal career

Afe Babalola began his career at

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

, the capital of

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

, western Nigeria as a

litigation A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. ...

lawyer at Olu Ayoola and Co, law firm. In 1965, after two years of

legal practice Legal practice is sometimes used to distinguish the body of judicial or administrative precedents, rules, policies, customs, and doctrines from legislative enactments such as statutes and constitutions which might be called "laws" in the strict ...

, he established his own

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

, Afe Babalola and Co. (Emmanuel Chambers). In 1987, he became a

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a honorific title that is conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession. It is the equivalent of the rank of King ...

, the highest rank in

Legal profession Legal profession is a profession in which legal professionals study, develop and apply law. Usually, there is a requirement for someone choosing a career in law to first pass a bar examination after obtaining a law degree or some other form of l ...

in Nigeria. In 2001, he was appointed Pro-Chancellor of the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

by Chief

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

, a former

President of Nigeria The president of Nigeria, officially the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the Federal Government an ...

. He held the position till 2008 during which he emerged as best

Pro-Chancellor A pro-chancellor is an officer of some universities in Commonwealth countries. The pro-chancellor acts as a deputy to the chancellor and as practical chairman of the university council. In this role, a pro-chancellor may fulfil a number of for ...

of Nigerian Universities consecutively in 2005 and 2006. In 2009, he established

to promote education in Nigeria. In 2013, the university was ranked the second best private university in Nigeria and 17th of 136 universities in Nigeria.

Arbitration

In 2002, he was inducted as a fellow in the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb). He was president of the institute from 2017 to October 2021. He made significant contributions towards the growth of the institute during his tenure. Despite his retirement, he has remained an avid supporter of NICArb and the ADR community.

Personal life

Babalola is married to Modupe Mercy Babalola. He has nine children, including

Bolanle Austen-Peters Bolanle Austen-Peters (born 4 February 1965), is a Nigerian lawyer, a multiple award-winning movie director, producer, theater director & producer and cultural entrepreneur. She is the founder and artistic director of BAP Productions and the arts ...

and Folashade Alli (SAN).

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babalola, Afe 1929 births Living people Yoruba lawyers People from Ekiti State Nigerian human rights activists Alumni of the London School of Economics Academic staff of the University of Lagos Yoruba academics Senior advocates of Nigeria Commanders of the Order of the Federal Republic 20th-century Nigerian lawyers 21st-century Nigerian lawyers Founders of Nigerian schools and colleges University and college founders