Former Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo SAN, Chairman of Nasco Group, Dr Attia Nasreddin, former Attorney General of Bayelsa State, Chief Anthony George-Ikoli SAN, and foremost corporate lawyer, Mr Gbenga Oyebode are amongst the seven distinguished Nigerians to receive Lifetime Awards at the upcoming Gavel International Annual Lecture and Awards on November 11, 2025.
Others include the Chairman of CITEC Group, Dr Oludare Bello, and foremost journalist and human rights activist, Mr Richard Akinnola.
Osinbajo is being recognised for the role he played in the Administration of Justice System while he was the Attorney General of Lagos State 1999-2007. Under him, new innovations in the Justice system such as the Office of the Public Defender(OPD), Citizens Mediation Centre(CMC), were established. Today, it has become a Directorate in Lagos State while all states in the Federation and even the Federal government have bought into the innovation by establishing similar directorates.
Dr Nasreddin is being recognised for his resilience and business development. The Nasco group continues to thrive under his leadership despite the security challenge in Northern and Central Nigeria. Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, is otherwise known as the “Nasco City” in recognition of the roles the group continues to play in the lives of the people.
Chief George-Ikoli, the grandson of the fiery journalist and nationalist, is the first Senior Advocate from Bayelsa State. As the Attorney-General of the State between 2007-2011, Ikoli was responsible for moving the Ministry of Justice from portakabins to the secretariat where he built the modern Justice Ministry in the country. Additionally, he moved the government of Bayelsa State to support the establishment of the Nigerian Law School Campus at Yenagoa, the first in South-South Nigeria.
Oyebode, Nigeria’s foremost and very successful corporate lawyer is moving beyond the borders by building a network of law firms across Africa, seeking to find solutions to corporate legal challenges that will spearhead the development of the continent, rather than reliance on western law firms that have limited knowledge of Africa. His ALN network is now in more than 10 African countries.
Akinnola, a foremost legal journalist, is always seeking answers to the human rights challenge in Nigeria. He is one of the trio that founded the first human rights organisation in Nigeria, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) alongside Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA). Akinnola has written many books on contemporary Nigerian and African issues.
Dr Oludare Bello is the Chief Executive Officer of CITEC International Estates leading with passion to solve the housing challenge in Nigeria. CITEC, under his leadership, has built affordable housing estates in Plateau State, Abuja, and is currently building massive housing estates in Ekiti State.
All the recipients have confirmed their acceptance of the prestigious awards which will be conferred on them on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce(LCCI), Alausa, Ikeja Lagos.
Dear readers, we really need your support to keep on serving you with authoritative, truthful, and juicy stories everyday. For your support, please reach out to the editor @gavelinternational66@gmail.com