#NBA Decides 2020: Who Is Dr Babatunde Ajibade, SAN?

For those who do not know Dr. Babatunde Ademola Moyosoreoluwa Ajibade, SAN,  he is one of Nigerian’s finest legal luminaries in the legal community.

Dr. Babatunde Ajibade is the managing partner of S. P. A. Ajibade & Co, a leading corporate and commercial law firm with offices in Lagos, Ibadan and Abuja, Nigeria.

He is a dispute resolution specialist and has substantial expertise in various aspects of commercial litigation and international commercial arbitration, especially in the fields of company law, insolvency law, energy law, labour law, hospitality law, and investment treaty law.

He has acted as counsel in institutional arbitration proceedings involving complicated shareholder disputes and damages claims arising from alleged breaches of hotel development and management contracts. Babatunde also sits as an arbitrator.

He is a Vice-President of the ICC Arbitration Commission’s Steering Committee, a member of the ICC’s Africa Commission, a Director of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre (LACIAC), a member of the LCIA’s African Users Council, a member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA) and a member of the African Arbitration Association.

Dr. Ajibade began his early education at the All Saints Primary School, Ibadan and had his secondary school at both the International School, Ibadan, and Federal Government College, Odogbolu. He graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 1988

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989. He obtained an LLM degree in corporate and commercial law in 1990 and a PhD in private international law in 1996, both from King’s College London.

He was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in December 2007. He was awarded the International Practice Fellowship of the International Bar Association in Madrid in October 2009 and became a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK in January 2015.

He engaged in active and full time corporate and commercial practice since he qualified to join the Nigerian Bar in 1989 save for time taken out to pursue my postgraduate studies at King’s College, University of London. My area of academic 3 specialization is in the field of Private International Law, with particular interest in the law relating to the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

In 1996, he became the Managing Partner of S. P. A. Ajibade & Co, a broad-based corporate and commercial law practice firm with offices in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital; in Ibadan, the capital of the former Western Region of Nigeria; and in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.  The firm has varied expertise in all aspects of corporate and commercial law, including related litigation. He has been involved in all aspects of corporate and commercial litigation, especially in the fields of Company Law, Insurance Law and Banking Law.  His experience in corporate, insurance and banking litigation has spanned all aspects of this area of the law in Nigeria.  He has prosecuted and defended numerous claims involving shareholder disputes, acted on behalf of banks and insurance companies and has also prosecuted claims on behalf of claimants against banks and insured tortfeasors and has a firm grasp of the commercial issues involved in such litigation. Cases he has prosecuted at various appellate courts in Nigeria have been reported in the Nigerian Law Reports.

Some of these matters that of particular significance are the appeal in FASAKIN FOODS (NIG) LIMITED & ANOR vs. MARTINS BABATUNDE SHOSANYA, [2006] 10 NWLR, Part 987, p. 126 decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 28th April, 2006  where he  successfully urged the Supreme Court to hold that Section 22(3) of the Federal High Court Act, LFN 2004 is in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and was thus an unconstitutional provision and the appeal in ODUTOLA HOLDINGS LIMITED & ORS vs. MR KUNLE LADEJOBI & ORS, [2006] 12 NWLR, Part 994, p. 321 decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 12th May, 2006 in which recondite points as to the division of authority between the board of a limited liability company and the members in general meeting were decided.

In addition to the above, he has extensive experience in corporate and commercial practice and has been involved in the formation, maintenance and regulation of all types of business entities in Nigeria.  He has substantial degree of experience with Company Secretarial practice.

He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association; Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK); Capital Market Solicitors Association; Institute of Advanced Legal Studies UK and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

He has been appointed to head several public and private parastatals, among which are his appointment as the Chairman of the Capital Market Solicitors Association of Nigeria between December 2010 – April 2013; Immediate Past Vice-Chairman, Banking, Finance & Insolvency Committee of the Section on Business Law, Nigerian Bar Association; Vice-Chairman Rules and Regulations Sub-Committee of the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission’s Capital Market Committee (2008 – 2012); Council Member, Section on Business Law, Nigerian Bar Association (2014).

He is passionate about the legal profession and committed to its improvement and advancement and its addition of value to society.  As evidence of this commitment and as an act of corporate social responsibility, the firm of S. P. A. Ajibade & Co under his leadership has hosted Annual Business Luncheon every year since 2008 addressing issues related to the advancement of the legal profession in Nigeria.  The Business Luncheon has addressed themes such as: Globalisation and the Challenges of Practicing Law as a Business – a View from the West.  (2008) The Globalisation of Legal Practice – The Challenges for Legal Education in Nigeria.  (2009); Morality, Integrity and Ethics in the Practice of Law in Nigeria – Myth or Reality.  (2010); The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Developing and Deepening Partnerships – An Insider’s View from the Outside.  (2011); The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Specialisation and the Barrister – Solicitor Divide.  (2012); The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Achieving Judicial Excellence.  (2013); The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Eliminating Delays in Civil Justice Delivery.  (2014); The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Regulation and Discipline in the Legal Profession. (2015); The Future of Legal Practice in Africa – An African Model for Big Law. (2016).

He has written and delivered several papers on various aspects of the law.

Playing Squash and keeping fit.

He is happily married with 4 children.

Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, has joined the race for the post of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association come the year 2020 he needs all the supports you can give to him to succeed in this race.