Chidi Anselm Odinkalu (b. June 12, 1968) is a Nigerian human rights activist, lawyer, professor and writer. He was the former chairman of Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission (Nigeria) and was recently the senior team manager for the Africa Program of Open Society Justice Initiative. He has worked as an advisor for the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

New York,

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African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

, International Council for Human Rights Policy, Geneva; and many others. August 2021, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

appointed Odinkalu a Professor in Human Rights Law. In 2018, he co-authored a book titled ''Too Good to Die'' with

Ayisha Osori Ayisha Osori is a Nigerian lawyer, author, international development consultant, journalist and politician known for her work on good governance, gender equality, women economic and political participation and ending violence against women in Nig ...

Early life

Odinkalu was born in Ihiala, Anambra State to two teachers: Augustine Chukwuma Odinkalu and Anthonia Ihunna Odinkalu. He hails from Orlu, Imo State.

Education

Odinkalu obtained his law degree (LLB) at

Imo State University The Imo State University (IMSU) in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria was established in 1981 through law No. 4 passed by the Imo State House of Assembly. The university admitted the first intake of 392 pioneer students on 23 October 1981. After the ...

in 1987 and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1988. He emerged as the best graduating student of the School of Legal Studies,

in 1987 and won the Chief FRA Williams prize for best student in Legal Drafting and Conveyancing in 1988. He obtained a master's degree in law at 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 ...

in 1990 and holds a Ph.D in law from the

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

. Odinkalu is a visiting professor at

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Fletcher is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations. As of 2017, the student b ...

and Harvard Law School.

Activism and career

He was the former chairman of National Human Rights Commission (Nigeria) and currently the senior legal officer for Africa, Open Society Justice Initiative. He became the assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Law,

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

between 1988 and 1989 and worked with the Civil Liberties Organization as director of projects and planning. During the June 12, 1993 Presidential election in Nigeria, there was intense pressure on human right activists including him based on the role he played at this moment. He left Nigeria to United Kingdom, where he became the legal officer for Africa, INTERIGHTS between July 1998 and February 2003. In 1998, United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone appointed him as a Human Rights Advisor. In February 2003, Odinkalu was appointed as the senior legal officer for Africa for Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI).

Awards

In 1991, Odinkalu won the USIA Fellowship on the Bicentennial of the Bill of Rights.

Publications

Building Bridges for Rights: Inter-Africa Initiatives in the Field of Human Rights 2001 (Co-Author). Justice Denied; Areas Courts in the Northern States of Nigeria 1992. Behind the Wall: Prison Conditions in Nigeria and the Nigerian Prison System 1991 (Co-Author).

Books

''Too Good to Die: Third Term and the Myth of the Indispensable Man in Africa'' (coauthor).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odinkalu, Chidi 21st-century Nigerian philosophers Nigerian human rights activists 1968 births Living people English-language writers from Nigeria Nigerian humanists Imo State University alumni Political philosophers Academic staff of the University of Ibadan 21st-century Nigerian writers