Kogi-born former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bayo Ojo, has made history as the first Nigerian to be elected as Africa’s representative at the United Kingdom’s Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Ojo is currently Nigeria’s representative at the International Law Commission, Geneva, an arm of the United Nations.
He is also seeking the ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to run for governor in Kogi State.
The Institute’s Director of Administration, Claire Hughes, in an electronic mail announced Ojo’s election through a congratulatory message.
News of Ojo’s election as the Trustee for Africa for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK, filtered in, in the early hours of Friday, throwing the legal community in the country into jubilation.
Regarded as one of the leading lights of Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Nigeria, Ojo defeated Justice Charles Kajimanga of Kenya for the only slot available to Africa.
The former AGF has been the head of the Institute in Nigeria and the West African representative of the Netherland based Foundation For International Commercial Arbitration (SICA/FICA).
Those who contested for the single East Asia region slot were, Chow Kok Fong, John Luk, Sundra Rajoo and Colin Wall.
Contestants for the Middle East/ Indian Subcontinent region single slot were Chandrakant Kamdar and Nayla Comair Obeid.
For the United Kingdom three vacancies, the contestants included Bruce Kettle, Rod O’Driscoll, Michael Stephens and John Wright.
The body in a statement noted that “elections are not- required in the regions of Americas, Australasia and Europe as the existing Trustees have not reached the end of their term of office”.
Since the 1990s Ojo has championed the inculcation and adaptation of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution processes into the legal system in Nigeria.
Through seminars and workshops, Ojo promoted the practice of arbitration at a time when the statute on the subject was hardly well utilised. Today, the law of arbitration is no longer an arcane area familiar only to a few.
“It is now part of the mainstream of legal subjects. He has also helped integrate the arbitral system in Nigeria into the international context, so much so that the Nigerian system is acclaimed abroad.”
