The Lagos State Government, leading law firms and several corporate organisations have declared support for the 2026 Gavel International/Ernest Ikoli Foundation(EIF) Annual Lecture and Awards scheduled to hold on Tuesday, November 17, in Lagos.
Among the major supporters are the Lagos State Government, ALN Aluko & Oyebode, George-Ikoli & Okagbue, and Dele Adesina LLP.
Other organisations supporting the event include Nasco Town Development Limited, KFA Investment & Property Limited, Charis Microfinance Bank, Evans Therapeutics Limited, Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority, De-Xambdra International Hotels, Julian’s Investment & Estate Company Limited, and Fidelity Bank, alongside the Ernest Ikoli Foundation, the event’s major partner.
The annual event, which will attract prominent personalities from Nigeria and Sierra Leone, will feature a lecture titled “Electoral Process in Nigeria: Managing the Boundaries of Judicial Intervention”, to be delivered by retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Honourable Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie.
Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, will moderate a panel discussion featuring the former President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Dr Maureen Chigbo; Publisher of Nigerian Politics Online Newspapers, Mr Semiu Okanlawon; and Deputy Editor of the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR), Mr Ayo Olanrewaju.
The awards segment will also recognise distinguished Nigerians and a Sierra Leonean for their contributions to professional excellence, public service and national development.
Gavel International, publisher of The Gavel, is a news platform with a special focus on the law, the administration of justice and the promotion of the rule of law, which it regards as fundamental to national development.
The platform began its Annual Lecture Series in 2015 with the public presentation of For the Love of Their Nation: Lawyers as Agents of Change in Nigeria, authored by its Publisher, Mr Mustapha Adekunle Ogunsakin. The book was presented by former Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, while a former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Dele Adesina, SAN, reviewed it.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavel International sustained the lecture series in 2020 with a virtual and physical engagement on the theme, “Media Coverage of Virtual Court Proceedings: Prospects and Challenges.”
The discussion featured leading legal practitioners and media professionals, including Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN; Mr Dele Adesina, SAN; Mr Femi Falana, SAN; Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu; Mr Richard Akinnola; Dr Reuben Abati; and Mrs Shola Shoyele. Prof. Osinbajo also delivered the keynote address.
In 2024, the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, delivered the keynote address at the annual lecture, while Mr Dele Adesina, SAN, former NBA General Secretary and Life Bencher, delivered the main lecture.
The occasion was chaired by foremost corporate lawyer, Mr Gbenga Oyebode, MFR. The lecture, themed “The Judiciary as the Last Hope of the Common Man: Media and Legal Perspectives”, examined the role of the judiciary and the media in promoting access to justice and protecting citizens’ rights.
The 2025 lecture, titled “The Impact of National Security Policies on Vulnerable Communities: A Human Rights Perspective”, was delivered by renowned legal scholar, Prof. Yusuf Ali, SAN.
The 2025 edition also featured the presentation of distinguished awards to prominent personalities in recognition of their contributions to national development and professional excellence.
Among the award recipients were former Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, honoured for his contributions to the administration of justice; Chairman of NASCO Group, Dr Attia Nasreddin, recognised for his lifetime achievements in industrialisation; and Chief Anthony George-Ikoli, SAN, former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State and the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria from the state.
Others recognised included Mr Gbenga Oyebode, MFR, a leading corporate lawyer; Dr Oludare Bello, Chairman of CITEC Group, for his contributions to affordable housing development; renowned journalist and human rights activist, Mr Richard Akinnola; and Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.
The 2026 edition is expected to sustain the platform’s tradition of bringing together members of the legal profession, the media, government and the corporate sector to examine critical issues affecting the administration of justice, democracy and national development.
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