Bolaji Owasanoye


Bolaji Olufunmileyi Owasanoye is a Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, an anticorruption agency in Nigeria.

Early life and education

Owasanoye was born in 1963. He graduated from University of Ife in 1984 with a degree in law and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985. He also obtained a master's degree in Law in 1987 from the University of Lagos.

Career

Owasanoye started his career as an assistant lecturer at the University of Lagos. He moved to the National Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in 1991 and became a Professor of law 10 years later.
In August 2015, he was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption before being appointed to the ICPC. He was a proponent of the Proceeds of Crime bill, Whistle-blower and Witness Protection Bill passed by the Nigerian National Assembly.
He has also worked as a consultant for Nigerian federal and state agencies as well as international agencies such as the World Bank and USAID.
In 1997, he co-founded the Human Development Initiative, a non-profit organisation. In 2020, he was awarded the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Publications

Awards and recognition