Biography
Olumide Akpata: Biography, Education, Career, Marriage, Net worth, and Controversy
By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Olumide Akpata was born on October 7, 1972. He currently presides over the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Olu as he is fondly called is a native of Edo State.
Olumide is the first Non-SAN(Senior Advocate of Nigeria) to assume the office of the president of the NBA
He is also a senior partner and the Head of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group at Templars law firm in Nigeria.
Education
Olu had his early education in Warri, Delta State before proceeding to King’s College, Lagos for his secondary education.
He later proceeded to the University of Benin, Edo state where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in law and was called to the bar after graduation.
He observed his one-year mandatory national service in Kano State
Career
Akpata began his legal career in Delta state, under the mentorship of Dr. Mudiaga Odje, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, OFR, one of the most experienced litigators of his time.
In 1996, Akpata moved to Lagos where he formed a law firm, Templars with his cousin, Oghogho Akpata
Akpata is currently a senior partner and Head of the Corporate & Commercial Practice Group of Templars.
In his capacity as the head of Templars, he has served in different aspects.
Olu was part of the advising crew to the Nigerian Bureau of Public Enterprises on the restructuring and unbundling of the now-defunct state-owned power monopoly, National Electric Power Authority.
He also advised on the acquisition of the National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria by a group of Nigerian investors in a US$152 million asset purchase transaction under the privatisation programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria;
During the deployment of Google Street View in Nigeria, Olu was part of the advising team for its successful actualization.
The successful merger between Access bank and Diamond bank to attain one of the largest lenders spot in Nigeria was birthed by a team of advisers of which Olu was a member.
Templar has grown to be one of the biggest law firms in Nigeria boasting a workforce of about 100 lawyers, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, which practice proficiently in diverse areas of Nigerian law.
Before his assumption of office of the NBA presidency, he was previously the chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL).
He was chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL).
Olumide Akpata is the current President of, the Nigerian Bar Association.
On July 30, 2020, Olu was elected as the 30th president of the Nigerian Bar Association defeating two Senior Advocates of Nigeria to clinch the position.
In the election, Olu garnered a total of 9,891 votes of the total 18,256 ballots cast, to defeat Babatunde Ajibade (SAN) who polled 4,328 votes, and Dele Adesina (SAN) who polled 3,982 votes.
Marriage
In May 2022, Olumide married Osayamon Michelle May Ogbebor
Net worth
There is no information about his net worth at the moment
Achievements
In 2022, Olumide Akpata received the African Bar Association Award for his efforts in the defence of the legal Profession.
He also received an award of recognition from the Warri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association awarded Akpata, in recognition of his stewardship
Olu is a member of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the United Nations Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (UN-NHF)
Controversy
After his election as the president of the NBA, Dele Adesina (SAN) who lost the election to Olu wrote a petition challenging the credibility of the election.
He faulted the election and stated that the whole process is a gross violation of the NBA constitution
The election was “riddled with electronic fraud” while the electoral server was “loaded with predetermined data” according to Adesina
A part of his petition reads “The concerns raised included: inflation and injection of names into the Voters List of Abuja Branch, illegal use of Stamp and Seal payment as a basis for compilation of Voter’s Register, lack of information regarding the Service Provider and the Election portal, the security of the NBA Website and the serial violations of the provisions of the NBA Constitution”.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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