Osai Ojigho

Osai Ojigho (born 1976) is a Nigerian human rights expert, lawyer and gender equality advocate,[1] who as of 2021 is the Director of Amnesty International's national office in Nigeria. She serves on the Global Advisory Council of the Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL) and sits on the board of Alliances for Africa.[2][3][4]

Osai Ojigho
Born1976 (age 45–46)
Lagos, Nigeria
EducationLLB University of Lagos
LLM University of Wolverhampton
Diploma in International Human Rights College of Law England and Wales.
OccupationCountry Director, Amnesty International Nigeria
Known forLaw, human rights, advocacy, gender equality

Early life and education

Ojigho was born in Lagos State to the family of Chief Mark Obu and his wife Theresa.[5] She obtained her (LLB) law degree at University of Lagos and a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.[6][2] She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2000 and obtained a practice Diploma in International Human Rights from the College of Law of England and Wales in 2010.[7]

Career

In 2017, Ojigho was appointed Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria,[8][9] where she has overseen and participated in advocacy and social change campaigns including the Bring Back Our Girls and End SARS[10][11][12] movement as well as lending the organization's voice to various struggles for human rights violations and responsibilities,[13][14] social injustice, housing rights and sexual and gender based violence.[15][16][17][18]

Controversy

In March 2022, reports first from journalist David Hundeyin and later from the International Centre for Investigative Reporting detailed a close relationship between Ojigho and the State Security Service.[19][20] The pieces claimed that Ojigho actively and openly attempted to form a relationship between AI and the SSS despite the SSS' known human rights abuses; it was documented that Ojigho allowed SSS spies to gain employment at AI and access to sensitive information. The reports also detailed meetings between Ojigho and Kaduna State commissioner Samuel Aruwan prior to Ojigho's intervention in reports on Kaduna and claimed that Ojigho regularly disturbed AI human rights investigations without reason, forcing several employees out of the organization.

Awards

In 2015, Ojigho was listed by the African Feminist Forum as one of 18 phenomenal African feminists to know and celebrate.[21]

References
  1. "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  2. "Nigeria: Osai Ojigho joins Amnesty International Nigeria as new Country Director". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  3. "Osai Ojigho | The Mantle". www.themantle.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  4. "Boardmembers". AFA. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  5. "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  6. "Amnesty appoints Osai Ojigho as Country Director for Nigeria". Financial Nigeria International Limited. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  7. Woman.NG (2017-04-27). "Osai Ojigho Becomes Country Director Of Amnesty International In Nigeria". Woman.NG. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  8. "Amnesty International announces Osai Ojigho as new Country Director". P.M. News. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  9. ABOLADE, Lukman (2022-03-25). "Amnesty International Nigeria: I have reconciled differences with Ojigho, says Tietie". International Centre for Investigative Reporting. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  10. "Nigerian forces killed 12 peaceful protesters, Amnesty says". AP NEWS. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  11. AfricaNews (2020-10-22). "#EndSARSNow: NGO Says Justice "Needs to Be Served" in Nigeria". Africanews. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  12. Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Nigeria's Ban On Police Unit Is 'Lame': Amnesty". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  13. "Amnesty Sets Agenda to Address Nigeria's Human Rights Violations". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  14. "Rights Group Calls for War Crimes Probe Against Nigeria's Military | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  15. "Nigeria: 30K Evicted, Defying Court". hlrn.org. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  16. ""They betrayed us" : Women who survived Boko Haram raped, starved and detained in Nigeria - Nigeria". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  17. "The NBA should have a sexual harassment policy". Legal Business. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  18. Services, Compiled from Wire (2018-05-25). "Boko Haram victims face abuse by Nigerian army". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  19. Hundeyin, David. "Compromised By The Secret Police". Substack. West Africa Weekly. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  20. Amzat, Ajibola; Adanikin, Olugbenga; Abolade, Lukman. "How Amnesty International turns blind eye to human rights abuses in Nigeria, bullies staff". International Centre for Investigative Reporting. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  21. "18 Phenomenal African Feminists to Know and Celebrate » African Feminist Forum". African Feminist Forum. 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
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