Legal Assistant, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
Country / Where did you grow up:
Calabar, Nigeria
Academic qualifications:
LLB, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Experience:
Legal Officer I - Federal School of Medical Laboratory Science & Technology, Jos, Nigeria.
Volunteer - House of Recap, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Volunteer - Voluntary Services Overseas, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria.
Legal Associate - Kanu G. Agabi (SAN) & Associates, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria.
Law Reporter - Akaraiwe & Associates, Enugu, Nigeria.
Volunteer - Conscience International, Bakau, The Gambia.
Academic fields of interest:
Refugees/Internally displaced persons with a specific focus on children & unaccompanied minors
Position prior to the programme:
Prior to my enrollment in the HRDA programme, I volunteered as an English instructor at a shelter for children displaced due to the Boko Haram crisis in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. As such, when I joined the migration clinic in 2019, I had already seen first-hand the challenges faced by persons forced to flee their homes. The migration clinic therefore gave me the opportunity to learn at an in-depth level, established rights, principles and international practices for the protection of migrants in Africa. This knowledge has been instrumental, as I am able to research and formulate specific thematic questions on States’ obligations as it relates to the rights of migrants, particularly during the African Commission’s consideration of State Parties’ periodic reports.
My experience interning at the migration clinic was indeed ‘transformative’ as it enabled me improve my knowledge and skills in an environment that was suitable for my academic and practical competence as an advocate of human rights.
