Board of Directors - African Law Foundation

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PROFILE OF AFRILAW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD CHAIR: DR. BENSON CHINEDU OLUGBUO

Mr. Benson Chinedu Olugbuo holds a PhD in Public Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently the Managing Partner of Benson Olugbuo & Company, and was formerly the Country Director of Center for Civilians in Conflict, and Executive Director formerly the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes public safety, security and accessible justice in Nigeria.

He was a Fox International Fellow and Visiting Assistant in Research at Yale University from 2011 – 2012. He was a Teaching and Research Assistant at the University of Cape Town and a Visiting Lecturer at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Oberlin College, Ohio, United States of America.

He was also the Anglophone Africa Coordinator for the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and led the campaign for the domestic implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2004 – 2009. He attended the sessions of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC in The Hague and New York and participated in the Review Conference of the ICC, in Kampala, Uganda in 2010. He is a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and has published widely on international criminal justice and human rights in Africa.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/BOARD SECRETARY: OKEREKE CHINWIKE ESQ.

Mr. Okereke Chinwike is an International Human Rights and International Development Law Expert with over with over 15 years professional experience in the relevant areas of Security Sector Governance and Reform, Private Security Governance and Reform, Business and Human Right/ Corporate Justice and Accountability, Business in Conflicts, Security and Human Rights, Drug Law and Policy Reform, Justice Sector Reform/International Justice, Gender Justice/Women and Child Rights Protection, Human Rights and International Development/Right to Development and among others.

He holds LLM in International Human Rights Law from the Faculty of Law of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, Nigeria, and holds a Post-Graduate Degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), Enugu; and holds a Law Degree from Faculty of Law of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, Nigeria and the Nigeria Law School, Abuja; and obtained Advanced Human Rights Certificate Course from the Center for Human Rights of the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Africa Regional Legal Training on Health and Human Rights from Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), South Africa; and West Africa Executive Course on Human Rights and Drug Policy from Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Africa Advanced Training on Business and Human Rights and Grievance Mechanism from Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) the Netherlands and Kenya Human Rights Commission, Naivasha, Kenya; and Certificate Course on Gender and Development from the Center for Gender and Social Policy Studies of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State of Nigeria. He also obtained Executive Certificate Course on ESG and Sustainability Management Programme from Lagos Business School of Pan-African University, Lagos-Nigeria. Also, he is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC-Nigeria) and International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) UK.

Mr. Chinwike is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA) Switzerland; A Steering Committee member of the African Private Security Governance Observatory of the Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) Switzerland, African Representative and a member of the Steering Committee of the Zero Tolerance Initiatives (ZTI); Advisory Committee of the Business and Conflict Community of Practice; and the National Focal Point of the West African Drug Policy Network (WADPN) Nigeria Chapter.

BOARD MEMBER/VICE CHAIR: MRS. EBELE CHUKWU LILIAN ENEDAH

Mrs. Ebelechukwu is a Partner in the firm of PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors, Lagos. She heads the Consultancy & Government Regulatory Department, where her training and experience in Project Finance has been greatly utilized in providing services to client. Her practice areas include Dispute Resolution (Expertise in Litigation), Privatisation, Legal & Regulatory Drafting, Legal and Transaction Advisory, Project Finance, Capital Market, Probate & Family Law, Estate Planning & Asset Management, Energy Law (Power), Oil & Gas, Company Law & Practice, Commercial Law, Insolvency.

She has extensive experience in Financial Services Law, Insolvency and Business Restructuring having advised and assisted various multinationals and companies in restructuring their credit facilities and acting as a Receiver/Manager in an insolvency matter. Ebelechukwu also has extensive experience in company secretarial services, having handled several matters which involved her vast knowledge of Company and Allied Matters. Her expertise also involves Family Law, Probate Matters and Estate Planning. Ebelechukwu has been involved in many ‘big ticket’ dispute resolution brief in Nigeria.

She is a graduate of Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu. She has attended many Conferences and Professional Trainings such as Legal Aspects of Project Finance: Documenting, Drafting and Negotiation Techniques by Institute for Public Private Partnership (IP3), Arlington, Virginia, USA, Lawyers Associated Worldwide, Regional Conference Prague, David Wilkins Advanced Leadership Course by the Section on Business of the NBA, Effective Public Prosecution and Defence: Ethics and Essentials for Success by Lagos Business School, and Fundamentals of Capital Market Development and Regulation by UNITAR.

She is the Social and Welfare Secretary, Capital Market Solicitors Association CMSA, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, PUNUKA Annual Lecture 2015, and President of the Auxiliaries of the Gideons International, Lagos Island Camp.

BOARD MEMBER: MR. CHIMA OKEREKE, FSCIArb

Mr. Okereke Chima graduate of University of Jos, Jos, is a result oriented and seasoned Civil and Commercial litigation lawyer who has had extensive experience in commercial dispute resolution, capital and debt refinancings. He has also severally rendered legal and business advisory services in Construction, Finance, Oil and Gas transactions.

After the completion of his National Youth Service in 1993, he served in the employment of Venus Investment Ltd Lagos, as the Company’s Legal Adviser/Business Manager between 1993 and 1994.

He was a Counsel with Kola Awodein & Co. from 1994 to 2000, before joining the law firm of George, George& Co. in 2001. He was a Partner in Prima Ballium Chambers between 2003 and 2012, and re-joined Kola Awodein & Co as a Partner in 2012.

Mr. Okereke a Council member and Fellow Society of Construction Industry Arbitrators is currently Head of the Firm’s practice in the Abuja Office.

He is an active member of the team of lawyers advising and defending the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against the suits arising from the 2009 Banking sector reform initiative and has also recently been engaged in the Financial and Tax audit advisory spectrum, having served as co-Lead in the audit of NIMASA in 2013, by KA & Co Consulting for the Federal Inland Revenue Services (F.I.R.S).

Mr. Okereke has a rich history in advocacy and campaign for social justice, gender equality and in his days as a student served as the Secretary-General of the National Association of Nigerian Students. He also served as the Secretary of the NBA Committee for the Defence of MKO Abiola between 1994-1996.

BOARD MEMBER/TREASURER: MS. GRACE OKPALA

Ms. Grace Okpala is a Chartered Accountant with over 9 years’ post-qualification experience. She has diverse field experience in managing the finances of companies and international organizations. She started her career as an Account Supervisor/Revenue Controller for Protea Hotels. She held the position of the Regional Finance Officer with Center for Clinical Care and Research Nigeria, an Implementing Partner for Center for Disease Control US PEPFAR HIV project in the South East Region of Nigeria. She was trained by Onyefulu Eddymic and Co. a firm of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria.

Also, she worked briefly with Maryland Global Initiative Corporation (MGIC) on the Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey – NAIIS, a project of University of Maryland Baltimore, USA. Currently, Grace is the Country Finance Officer for Accountability Lab Nigeria. She is an advocate of public interest accounting for SMEs in Nigeria as a pathway to economic development.

She holds her M.Sc. and B.Sc. Accounting degrees from the University of Nigeria and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, respectively. She is a PhD Accounting Student of University of Nigeria.

BOARD MEMBER: MRS EMELDA ANULIKA CHINWIKE

Mrs Emelda Chinwike is a graduate of Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from Anambra State University now known as Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University in Nigeria. She is currently pursuing her Master degree in Environmental management, Enugu state University of technology.

Mrs. Emelda is a seasoned geologist with more than 10 years industrial experience in production and equipments spare parts management.She worked with Lafage Africa PLC as Packing Operation Control Room Operator for 4 years before joining the preventive maintenance team also as spares parts receiving supervisor for Lafage Mfamosing plant operations.

She is ISO 14001:2015 EMS certified internal auditor and current consult for Mifor consult, a geo-data collection and laboratory analysis company that offers integrated assessment services. She is a change agent, she is an innovative and a visionary leader who looks for faster and better ways to accomplish goals through people. she received a number of awards while in service with Lafage Africa PLC. A member of Rotary club Calabar Tinapa Nigeria. She served as board member for 2022-2023 Rotary year as well as the Rotary Foundation chairlady.

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