Professor Abiola Olaitan Sanni, SAN has been nominated as the Dean-elect of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Faculty of Law. He will succeed Professor Ige Omotayo Bolodeoku on August 1, 2024.

The elections took place on July 5, 2024 and were well attended by three senior lawyers of Nigeria.

Professor Sanni noted in his acceptance speech that the manifestos of the three candidates, including a project for a new faculty building, share a common ground. In his words: “The three of us practically read from the same songbook when it comes to the welfare of students and staff; the difference may be in the approach. We are determined to leave lasting legacies, by leveraging the network in government circles, the immense goodwill of all our faculty members and alumni. My manifesto is a pact for sustainable progress, accountability and integrity. With a common goal, there is nothing we cannot do.”

Professor Sanni was admitted to the Inner Bar as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2021. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Law from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife in 1989 and 1992 respectively.

In 1991, he began his teaching career at Obafemi Awolowo University as a Junior Trainee Fellow. He rose to the position of Lecturer 1 and became Acting Head of the Department of Business Law in 1997. He built a reputation in the legal services industry.

In search of specialization and career advancement, he transferred his tenure to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in 1999 and his career flourished there. In 2003, he won the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship for Foreign Scholars, a 10-month Fellowship at the International Tax Programme of Beasley School of Law, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. During the same period, he was also appointed Research Fellow of the Institute of International Law and Policy of the same University. In 2016, he had the unique honour of being simultaneously appointed Professor of Commercial Law and holder of a Professorial Chair endowed by Lagos State at the University of Lagos for the promotion of Tax and Fiscal Affairs. This earned him the sobriquet “Double Professor”, perhaps the first in UNILAG, especially in recent times.

Professor Sanni is known as a thoroughbred professional with a robust multidisciplinary background. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). He has served the CITN in various capacities as Dean, Faculty of Indirect Taxation and a member of the Taxation Standard Board. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute Chartered Arbitrators and a life member of the Nigerian Society of International Law. Since 2011, he has been involved in international arbitration under the Rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) as well as domestic arbitration. He is the author of “Introduction to Nigerian Business Law”; the founder and editor of the “Nigerian Revenue Law Reports” and African Tax Law Reports”, the first legal reports dedicated to tax matters in Nigeria and Africa respectively.

He has served the Federal Government of Nigeria in various capacities as a professional. He is a member of the Tax Advisory Committee (TAC) “Think-Tank” Group for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). He was the Chairman of the National Tax Policy Review Committee (NTPRC) in 2016. Contrary to the notorious tradition of subtly discarding committee reports, he was appointed Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC) in 2017 to implement the key recommendations of the Revised National Tax Policy. He is a member of the Federal Government Fiscal Reform Committee and Tax Advisory Committee, which have been responsible for hatching annual Finance Acts since 2019. He has been a member of the Advisory Group of the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) from 2017 to date.

Professor Sanni is a proponent of sound corporate governance. He is the Chairman of the Board of Tax Technologies Limited, TaxAide Limited, Miles Drivers Recruitment, Budding Mothers Club (BMC), a Trustee of the United States Government Exchange Alumni Association of Nigeria (USGEAAN) (the umbrella organization for beneficiaries of all exchange programs sponsored by the United States Government in Nigeria), a Trustee of the Nigerian Law School Alumni Class of 1989-90.

He is known for his exemplary vision and leadership during the early years of his career by coordinating a group of six dynamic young lecturers to publish the first book on legal methods in Nigeria entitled “Introduction to Nigerian Legal Methods” in 1998. The book has remained the leading introductory legal text in Nigerian universities and the West African sub-region.

Professor Sanni maintains work-life balance through sports and social interactions. He is a member of Octagon 90, FS Club, House of Commons, Science Boys, Ife Recreation Club, Ikoyi Club 1938 and UNILAG Staff Club.

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