Afe Babalola

Afe Babalola was born in Ekiti State South Western Nigeria. He attended Emmanuel Primary School, Ado Ekiti.[5] He enrolled for the Senior Cambridge School Certificate examination by private study from Wolsey Hall, Oxford.[6] He later obtained the A’Level certificate of London University before he proceeded to London School of Economics where he received a bachelor's degree in Economics.[7] He worked briefly at the Central Bank of Nigeria before he left to the University of London where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Law.[8] In 1963, he was called to the England bar, the same year he became a member of Lincoln's Inn, London.[9]

Afe Babalola began his career at Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, western Nigeria as a litigation lawyer at Olu Ayoola and Co, law firm.[10] In 1965, after two years of legal practice, he established his own law firm, Afe Babalola and Co. (Emmanuel Chambers).[11] In 1987, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the highest rank in Legal profession in Nigeria.[12] In 2001, he was appointed, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria.[13] He held the position till 2008 during which he emerged as best Pro-Chancellor of Nigerian Universities consecutively in 2005 and 2006.[14] In 2009, he established Afe Babalola University to promote education in Nigeria. In 2013, the university was ranked the second best private university in Nigeria and 17 of 136 universities in Nigeria.[15]

In 2002, he was inducted as a fellow in the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb). He was president of the institute from 2017 to October 2021.[16] He made significant contributions towards the growth of the institute during his tenure. Despite his retirement, he has remained an avid supporter of NICArb and the ADR community.

Babalola is married to Modupe Mercy Babalola. He has nine children, including Bolanle Austen-Peters.[17]