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Gbemisola Odusote shatters glass ceiling with appointment as head of Nigerian Law School
With her appointment by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu as Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, effective 10 January, Dr Gbemisola Titilayo Odusote becomes the first female to ever lead the institution, since it was first established in 1962.
History has been made this week among Nigeria’s legal landscape, with the nation’s President Bola Tinubu naming highly experienced legal academic Dr Gbemisola Titilayo Odusote as the first female Director-General of the Nigerian Law School since its 1962 inception. Her four-year term will commence on January 10, 2026.
As Director-General, Odusote will be responsible for the institution’s overall academic leadership, administrative management, and strategic direction across all campuses. She will also serve as the primary liaison between the school, the Council of Legal Education, the Body of Benchers, and the Nigerian Bar Association.
Congratulations have flowed from among the Nigerian legal community and beyond for Dr Odusote’s groundbreaking appointment. The 54-year-old, who began her career with the Nigerian Law School as a lecturer in 2001, currently serves as the Deputy Director-General and Head of the Lagos Campus. She will succeed Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, following the expiration of his eight-year tenure.
Joyce Ntalabe, lead counsel at Ntalabe & Partners Legal Firm in Cameroon, Deputy Director of Revenue at Union Internationale des Avocats, and a past graduate of the Nigerian Law School, said Dr Odusote’s history-making elevation to Direct0r-General of Nigerian Law School filled her with pride as a female lawyer, and would hopefully “open even more doors for women in leadership within the legal profession”.
“Cheers to shattering the glass ceiling!” commented Oluwaseyi Olayinka, another Nigerian Law School graduate, who is currently an associate at Aluko & Oyebode.
Dr Odusote earned her PhD in Law, focused on public law and the administration of justice, from the University of Surrey in the UK, after she completed her LLB degree and an LLM in company and commercial law at Obafemi Awolowo University.
She originally hails from the small, southwestern region now known as Ekiti State.
Since joining the Nigerian Law School as a lecturer in 2001, Dr Odusote has held roles as Head of the Academic Department, Director of Academics, and Head of Campus, alongside a brief period as a visiting scholar at Nottingham Trent University. She is an extensive contributor to legal journals and conferences, and has served on committees for the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Bar Association.
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji yesterday gave his “hearty congratulations” to Dr Odusote on her appointment as Director General, praising her as “a distinguished daughter of Ekiti” and “a distinguished scholar and a seasoned administrator with proven integrity and great accomplishments in academia”. He urged her “to continue to exhibit a high level of integrity, dedication, loyalty, courage and excellence – virtues for which Ekitis are known, and which have shaped her career growth”, assuring Dr Odusote of the support of the Government and people of Ekiti State.