Julie Okah-Donli (born 30 December 1966) is a Nigerian

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, chartered secretary and administrator, who served as the Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), an agency established by the

Federal Government of Nigeria The federal government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, whose powers are vested and bestowed upon by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One of the primary f ...

in 2003 to tackle

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

and other related matters. She is the founder of the Julie Donli Kidney Foundation, an NGO that supports people with kidney disease and also mother of the musician,

Lady Donli Zainab Elizabeth Donli, known as Lady Donli, is a Nigerians, Nigerian musician. She is an alternative R&B, hip hop, alternative jazz and Afrobeat singer and songwriter. Biography Lady Donli was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is the youngest of si ...

Early life and education

Julie Okah-Donli was born on 30 December 1966 to the family of Navy Commander. and Mrs. Okah; she comes from Bayelsa State, Nigeria. She is the author of Parenting in the 21st Century, Murky Waters and Ending Human Trafficking in Nigeria She obtained a Diploma in Law and a Degree in Law from the

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...

, 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 1992. She won the Deans Award of Moot Court Competition.

Career

From 1996 to 2002, Okah-Donli worked at Anthony Igbene & Co. S. O Ajayi as an Associate. She worked as executive assistant to Chief Timipre Sylva, former governor of

Bayelsa State Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...

. She had also worked with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and also a one-time head of UBA Trustees. Okah-Donli established a Legal Firm: Julie Okah & Co (Legal Practitioners) which she was the principal partner. She later founded the Julie Donli Kidney Foundation. On April 13, 2017, she was appointed by President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

to become the Director-General of NAPTIP. She has been leading the federal agency to tackle human trafficking, including organ trafficking and ritual killing. Okah-Donli has advocated for more funding to tackle human trafficking and in inter-agency collaboration. Under her leadership as DG of NAPTIP, a Whistle Blowing Policy for Human Trafficking was formed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okah-Donli, Julie 1966 births Living people Ahmadu Bello University alumni Nigerian social entrepreneurs 20th-century Nigerian lawyers 21st-century Nigerian lawyers 20th-century Nigerian women lawyers 21st-century Nigerian women lawyers