Crescent Varsity professor bags ICC appointment 

...As 18 law students become Chartered Arbitrators

By Idris Katib 

The Dean, Bola Ajibola College of Law (BACOLAW), Crescent University, Abeokuta, Nigeria, Prof. Momodu Kassim-Momodu has been appointed by the International Criminal Court (ICC), The Hague, to serve as a Judge in the ICC International Moot Court Competition 2019.

Prof. Kassim-Momodu first served as a Judge of the competing in 2016 following his nomination as a member London Court of International Arbitration.

(front row sitting) Dean, BACOLAW, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Prof. Momodu Kassim-Momodu (2nd left), Registrar, Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators,Mrs Shola Oshodi-John(2nd from right),College Officer, BACOLAW, Mr Isiak Bisiriyu (left), another facilitator (right) with students of the college after the Associate Training Programme of NICArb recently.

This time, his chosen affiliation for becoming a Judge of the competition is the prestigious Crescent University, Abeokuta, Nigeria, founded by a one-time Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ),Hague, His Excellency Judge Bola Ajibola.

In a related development, 18 students of Bola Ajibola College of Law of the university have passed their Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators' examinations thereby becoming Associate arbitrators before their graduation as lawyers. The dean stressed that "this is the first time this is happening in Nigeria".

Professor Kassim-Momodu lecturing Bola Ajibola College of Law students in arbitration

It was gathered that another batch of 35 BACOLAW students would also be taking the arbitration examination this month of May, having completed their training.

Speaking at the Associate Training Programme of NICArb in Abeokuta, Ogun State, recently, the Registrar/Chief Executive, Mrs Shola Oshodi-John stressed that the essence of the training which usually leads to the arbitration examinations was to open the wall of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to law students and to also give young upcoming lawyers an opportunity to make an informed choice.

Some of the students during the lecture

Observing that ADR was an added value to undergraduate students to acquire skills to engage people and negotiate, Mrs Oshodi-John said it would bring about easy access to justice in Nigeria where people could develop culture of peaceful resolution of conflict.