Akindele Babatunde Oyebode was born on December 9, 1947, to the Oyebode family of Ikole-Ekiti. His father was a product of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, where he served at various times in the army, as a school teacher, party apparatchik and social worker in the civil service. His parents wanted the best for their children as reflected in the schools Professor Oyebode and his siblings attended.
The academic brilliance of Professor Oyebode started in Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti where he had his secondary education from 1960 to 1966 and his excellent character earned him a place among the school prefects in his senior class. He passed out in Grade One in the West African School Certificate Examination. A.B. Oyebode, as he is fondly known, is a product of Harvard Law School between 1974 and 1975. He holds LL.M. with Highest Distinction from Kiev State University, Kiev, Ukraine, and Doctor of Jurisprudence from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada. His scholarship, prizes and fellowships include JFK Essay Competition School Level Winner in 1966; Soviet Institute of World Economy and International Relations Scholarship in 1967; Harvard University Tuition Fellowship in 1974; Ford Foundation/International Legal Center Fellowship in 1974 and York University Graduate Assistantship, 1981.
Prof. A.B. Oyebode held appointment as the Head of Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, University of Lagos and the Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti-State University between 2002 and 2004. His inimitable personality earned him a consistent respect in the academic community and various constituencies he is associated with.
He is a member of front-line learned societies and leading professional associations such as the Nigerian Society of International Law, American Society of International Law, International Law Association, Nigerian Association of Law Teachers, Nigerian Bar Association and Nigerian Institute of Management. He has over 31 books and monographs, over 82 journal articles as well as many research works and numerous unpublished major conference and seminar papers to his credit.
At 70, Prof. Oyebode, who has retired from the faculty of the University of Lagos, still serves as a Member of the Editorial Board of many publications including the Lagos State University Law Journal; University of Jos Law Journal; Journal of Human Rights Law and Practice; The News; and Environment Network.
He also serves as a consultant for notable establishments such as the National Boundary Commission; Civil Liberties Organization; UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna; Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law; and the National Association of Democratic Lawyers. He is a member of the Board of Trustees, Ekitipanupo Community Development Association.
The international jurist and an academic of note is an exemplary family man. His marriage to Mrs. Morenike Oyebode who retired as a senior official of West African Examination Council, is blessed with successful children: Akintunde, Akindeji and Olajumoke. Professor Oyebode is indeed an asset to Nigeria having produced many qualified lawyers that have occupied and some still occupy strategic positions in government at the federal and state levels. Naturally, Ekiti people are proud of him, which unequivocally earned him the position of pioneer leadership of Ekitipanupo Forum, the preeminent indigenous intellectual roundtable for Ekiti people at home and in Diaspora. He represented Ekiti State in the last national conference during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
