Energy Law: UNIABUJA Law Students Hold Annual Lecture to Honour Wale Tinubu

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Prof. Damilola Olawuyi, has urged law students in various Nigerian universities to take advantage of the opportunities in energy law as they move towards specialisation and extending their frontiers in the legal profession. 

Olawuyi said this at a lecture organised by the class of 2024 of the University of Abuja Law Students’ Association (LAWSAN) in Abuja, in honour of the Chief Executive Officer of OANDO Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu.

Adewuyi, a senior advocate of Nigeria spoke on the theme ’21st Century Lawyers: Harnessing the Benefits of the Relationship between Law and Energy’.

While pointing out the unique place of energy law in the nation’s economy, he stated that the relationship between law and energy is the foundation upon which the Nigerian economy has been built for over 40 years. 

The university lecturer said, for instance, that the privatization of electricity supply and management was achieved through law; he said the privatisation of NNPC was also achieved through law. 

To this end, Olawuyi pointed out that any stagnation or change in the energy sector that wishes to be sustained can only happen with the help of the law.

He also stated that the energy field is a pool of opportunities that 21st-century law should venture into to harness boundless opportunities. He used himself and Mr. Tinubu as a testimony of the power of the energy industry.

Though it was not the first one, the 2024 edition attracted dignitaries from various fields of human endeavour, including lawyers, academics, politicians, business moguls, and students, including the unveiling of a well-packed journal in honour of Tinubu and presentation of awards of excellence to a few dignitaries and students from various levels of the faculty.

According to the chairman of the organising committee for the dinner, Mr. Rufai Tayo Uthman, the night was not only for merry-making but also a special ceremony to celebrate and honour the oil industry giant, Tinubu. 

According to him, Tinubu, a distinguished member of the Nigerian Bar and business genius and the CEO of one of the largest oil companies in Nigeria, Oando PLC, was singled out for his contribution to humanity, law and the country’s economy.

The President of the LAWSAN University of Abuja chapter, Lawal Farouq Ayobami, said the event was aimed at celebrating the achievements and contributions of Tinubu in the energy sector and energy law. 

He said the ceremony was also an opportunity for law students to interact with and learn from the seasoned lawyer and business leader, who has compassed the trajectories of the oil and gas industry to the apex. 

Responding, Tinubu, represented by Mr. Yomi Babalola, a team member of the Oando PLC legal department, called on students of the school’s Law Faculty to keep being ambassadors of hard work, good values and desirable principles.

Tinubu also encouraged students who are enthusiasts of the energy world to get involved in energy and energy law issues, absorb enough experience and look past the technical nature of the field.

The peak of the event was the presentation of a plaque of honour and a certificate of recognition to Tinubu by the acting VC of the university, Prof. Aisha Sanni Maikudi, supported by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Abdulrasheed Yusuf.

Babalola, who stood in for Tinubu, led the journal launch session of the Juris Energia Journal, which was dedicated to his boss.

The event also celebrated some students who stood out and achieved excellence in the calendar year in academics and extracurricular activities.

Upon receipt of the OOL (Officer of the Order of LAWSAN), Aisha Idris thanked the dinner committee and the LAWSAN exco for finding her worthy of the highest honour.

Another awardee, Akinkunmi Testimony, who was awarded the Best Writer of the Year, commended the organising committee of the dinner for making the platform possible to celebrate excellence in the academic community in LAWSAN.

Looking back into the last eight months under his leadership, the LAWSAN president applauded the faculty dean and other staff members for their support and guidance.

He also thanked the sponsors and partners of the event, including the Nigerian Bar Association, the Council of Legal Education, the Pan African Lawyers Union, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Oando Plc, among others, students and other stakeholders who made their dream a reality.