Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN, Chairman of Nasco Group, Dr Attia Nasreddin, former Attorney General of Bayelsa State, Chief Anthony George-Ikoli SAN, will be honoured at the Gavel International Annual Lecture and Awards on 11 November, 2025.
Also among the awardees are foremost corporate lawyer, Mr Gbenga Oyebode, Chairman of CITEC Group, Dr Oludare Bello, and foremost journalist and human rights activist, Mr Richard Akinnola.
This was contained in a press release by the organisers of the event and made available to Newscoven.com, on Tuesday.
As stated in the release, Professor Osinbajo is being recognised for his role in the administration of justice system while he was the Attorney General of Lagos State 1999-2007.
“Under him, new innovations in the justice system such as the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC), were established.
“Today, it has become a Directorate in Lagos State while all states in the federation and even the Federal Government have bought into the innovation by establishing similar directorates,” it was added.
Dr Nasreddin, chairman of NASCO, is being recognised for his resilience and business development.
“The Nasco Group continues to thrive under his leadership despite the security challenge in Northern and Central Nigeria.
“Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, is otherwise known as the “Nasco City” in recognition of the roles the group continues to play in the lives of the people,” it was added.
The organisers of the Gavel International Awards also listed Chief George-Ikoli, the grandson of the fiery journalist and nationalist, and the first SAN from Bayelsa State, as one of the awardees.
“As the Attorney-General of the State between 2007-2011, Ikoli was responsible for moving the Ministry of Justice from portakabins to the secretariat where he built the modern Justice Ministry in the country.
“Additionally, he persuaded the Government of Bayelsa State to support the establishment of the Nigerian Law School Campus at Yenagoa, the first in South-South Nigeria,” it was stated.
Gavel International also listed Mr Oyebode SAN, Nigeria’s foremost and very successful corporate lawyer, as one the awardees
“He is moving beyond the borders by building a network of law firms across Africa, seeking to find solutions to corporate legal challenges that will spearhead the development of the continent, rather than reliance on western law firms that have limited knowledge of Africa.
Gavel International further stated that the ALN network of Oyebode has transcended beyond Nigeria, adding that it now in more than 10 African countries.
The organisers of the Gavel International Annual Lecture and Awards also described Akinnola as a foremost legal journalist who is always seeking answers to the human rights challenge in Nigeria.
“He is one of the trio that founded the first human rights organisation in Nigeria, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) alongside Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
“Akinnola has written many books on contemporary Nigerian and African issues,” it was further stated.
It stated that Dr Oludare Bello, the Chief Executive Officer of CITEC International Estates, is leading with passion to solve the housing challenge in Nigeria.
“CITEC, under his leadership, has built affordable housing estates in Plateau State, Abuja, and is currently building massive housing estates in Ekiti State,” it was added.
Gavel International further revealed that all recipients of the awards have confirmed their acceptance of the prestigious awards which will be conferred on them at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce (LCCI), Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
