For those who do not know Dr. Babatunde Ademola
Moyosoreoluwa Ajibade, SAN, he is one of Nigerian’s
finest legal luminaries in the legal community.
Dr. Babatunde Ajibade is the managing partner of S. P. A.
Ajibade & Co, a leading corporate and commercial law firm with
offices in Lagos, Ibadan and Abuja, Nigeria.
He is a dispute resolution specialist and has substantial
expertise in various aspects of commercial litigation and
international commercial arbitration, especially in the fields of
company law, insolvency law, energy law, labour law, hospitality
law, and investment treaty law.
He has acted as counsel in institutional arbitration proceedings
involving complicated shareholder disputes and damages claims
arising from alleged breaches of hotel development and management
contracts. Babatunde also sits as an arbitrator.
He is a Vice-President of the ICC Arbitration Commission’s
Steering Committee, a member of the ICC’s Africa Commission, a
Director of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration
Centre (LACIAC), a member of the LCIA’s African Users Council, a
member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA) and a member of the
African Arbitration Association.
Dr. Ajibade began his early education at the All Saints Primary
School, Ibadan and had his secondary school at both the
International School, Ibadan, and Federal Government College,
Odogbolu. He graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
in 1988
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989. He obtained an LLM
degree in corporate and commercial law in 1990 and a PhD in private
international law in 1996, both from King’s College London.
He was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in
December 2007. He was awarded the International Practice Fellowship
of the International Bar Association in Madrid in October 2009 and
became a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK in
January 2015.
He engaged in active and full time corporate and commercial
practice since he qualified to join the Nigerian Bar in 1989 save
for time taken out to pursue my postgraduate studies at King’s
College, University of London. My area of academic 3 specialization
is in the field of Private International Law, with particular
interest in the law relating to the recognition and enforcement of
foreign judgments.
In 1996, he became the Managing Partner of S. P. A. Ajibade
& Co, a broad-based corporate and commercial law practice firm
with offices in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital; in Ibadan, the
capital of the former Western Region of Nigeria; and in Abuja, the
Federal Capital Territory. The firm has varied expertise in
all aspects of corporate and commercial law, including related
litigation. He has been involved in all aspects of corporate and
commercial litigation, especially in the fields of Company Law,
Insurance Law and Banking Law. His experience in corporate,
insurance and banking litigation has spanned all aspects of this
area of the law in Nigeria. He has prosecuted and defended
numerous claims involving shareholder disputes, acted on behalf of
banks and insurance companies and has also prosecuted claims on
behalf of claimants against banks and insured tortfeasors and has a
firm grasp of the commercial issues involved in such litigation.
Cases he has prosecuted at various appellate courts in Nigeria have
been reported in the Nigerian Law Reports.
Some of these matters that of particular significance are the
appeal in FASAKIN FOODS (NIG) LIMITED & ANOR vs.
MARTINS BABATUNDE SHOSANYA, [2006] 10 NWLR, Part 987, p.
126 decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 28th April,
2006 where he successfully urged the Supreme Court to
hold that Section 22(3) of the Federal High Court Act, LFN 2004 is
in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria 1999 and was thus an unconstitutional provision
and the appeal in ODUTOLA HOLDINGS LIMITED & ORS vs. MR
KUNLE LADEJOBI & ORS, [2006] 12 NWLR, Part 994, p. 321
decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 12th May, 2006 in which
recondite points as to the division of authority between the board
of a limited liability company and the members in general meeting
were decided.
In addition to the above, he has extensive experience in
corporate and commercial practice and has been involved in the
formation, maintenance and regulation of all types of business
entities in Nigeria. He has substantial degree of experience
with Company Secretarial practice.
He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International
Bar Association; Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK); Capital
Market Solicitors Association; Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
UK and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
He has been appointed to head several public and private
parastatals, among which are his appointment as the Chairman of the
Capital Market Solicitors Association of Nigeria between December
2010 – April 2013; Immediate Past Vice-Chairman, Banking, Finance
& Insolvency Committee of the Section on Business Law, Nigerian
Bar Association; Vice-Chairman Rules and Regulations Sub-Committee
of the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission’s Capital Market
Committee (2008 – 2012); Council Member, Section on Business Law,
Nigerian Bar Association (2014).
He is passionate about the legal profession and committed to its
improvement and advancement and its addition of value to
society. As evidence of this commitment and as an act of
corporate social responsibility, the firm of S. P. A. Ajibade &
Co under his leadership has hosted Annual Business Luncheon every
year since 2008 addressing issues related to the advancement of the
legal profession in Nigeria. The Business Luncheon has
addressed themes such as: Globalisation and the Challenges of
Practicing Law as a Business – a View from the West. (2008)
The Globalisation of Legal Practice – The Challenges for Legal
Education in Nigeria. (2009); Morality, Integrity and Ethics
in the Practice of Law in Nigeria – Myth or Reality. (2010);
The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Developing and Deepening
Partnerships – An Insider’s View from the Outside. (2011);
The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Specialisation and the
Barrister – Solicitor Divide. (2012); The Future of Legal
Practice in Nigeria – Achieving Judicial Excellence. (2013);
The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Eliminating Delays in
Civil Justice Delivery. (2014); The Future of Legal Practice
in Nigeria – Regulation and Discipline in the Legal Profession.
(2015); The Future of Legal Practice in Africa – An African Model
for Big Law. (2016).
He has written and delivered several papers on various aspects
of the law.
Playing Squash and keeping fit.
He is happily married with 4 children.
Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, has joined the race
for the post of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association come
the year 2020 he needs all the supports you can give to him to
succeed in this race.