Dr. Irekpitan Okukpon

Biography

Irekpitan is an Assistant Professor and currently Interim Director of Research at the School of Law, Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences (FOMLSSS), University of Bradford, United Kingdom. She is an astute academic with 12-years’ experience in teaching and research. She has a doctorate degree in Environmental Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, an LL.M degree in Marine & Environmental Law (with Distinction) from the same Institution, and a first degree in law from the University of Benin, Nigeria. Prior to her employment at the University of Bradford, she was an Associate Research Professor at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Lagos, Nigeria (February to August 2022) and Deputy Director, Continuing Legal Education, Consultancy and Regional Economic Integration Law (CLECREIL) NIALS (March to September 2022). She also served in a triple capacity as Coordinator, Continuing Legal Education Division, NIALS from September 2019 to May 2022; Acting Head, Department of Public Law (NIALS) from January 2020 to March 2022; and Special Assistant to the Director-General, NIALS (September 2016 to August 2022). Her core areas of research include International Environmental Law, Marine Law, Human Rights and International Migration Law. She served as Lead Desk and Field Researcher on a NIALS/British Council Research Project titled ‘Dealing with the Past: Justice, Reconciliation and Healing in North East Nigeria’ in 2017; as Project Team Member/Secretary/Editor, Component C, NIALS/MacArthur Foundation Implementation Project on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 from 2018 to 2022. She has published various over 33 articles and book chapters in foreign and local journals and books, and has made over 50 presentations at various fora in Nigeria and overseas. As an experienced Researcher, Policy Analyst and Legislative Drafter, she served as a Consultant for the Heinrich Boll Foundation/Environmental Resource Centre on Improving Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Nigeria (2016 -2019) and the Senate of the National Assembly Nigeria on review of draft bills (2018). She currently acts as a recurring Consultant with the Environmental Resource Centre (ERC) Nigeria; Global Initiative against Illegal Migration (GIAM) Nigeria; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Nigeria.