Profile of Olufemi Elias, Nigerian nominee to World Court

Dr Taoheed Olufemi Elias, former President of the Administrative Tribunal of the OPEC Fund for International Development and Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Administrative Tribunal, was a few days ago nominated by Nigeria as her candidate to lead the International Court of Justice (ICJ), otherwise known as the World Court, at The Hague, Netherlands, for the term running from 2027 to 2036.

The ICJ is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations which was set up in 1945 after World War II to settle disputes within states in line with international law.

The World Court has a panel of 15 judges elected by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council for a nine-year term.

An election for a seat on the Court will be held in 2026.

Olufemi Elias’ profile as aggregated by Wikipedia and other sources informs that Olufemi Elias is the son of the late World Court President, Prof. (Justice) Taslim Olawale Elias who was Nigeria’s Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice 1960 – 1966, Chief Justice of Nigeria 1972 – 1975, and President of same World Court 1982 – 1985.

Olufemi studied at Corona School and Igbobi College, both in Lagos, Nigeria before obtaining a law degree from the University of Oxford, a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate from University College London. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.

He advises international organizations and States on legal issues, including litigation before international courts and tribunals. He is a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organisation.

Olufemi Elias is also a visiting professor in international law at the Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London and has taught at the King’s College London and the University of Buckingham.

He is the author of several publications in the field of International Law and was awarded the Honorary Membership Award of the American Society of International Law(ASIL) in recognition of his contributions to international law.

He was Registrar (United Nations Assistant Secretary-General), of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) until 30 June 2020.

Elias has held several positions including being a Judge for Staff Appeals, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL); Legal Adviser and Director, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), The Hague; Executive Secretary (Registrar), World Bank Administrative Tribunal, Washington D.C.; Senior Legal Officer, OPCW; Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary, United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), Geneva and Legal Adviser, Governing Council Secretariat, UNCC.

Olufemi Elias was previously a candidate in the 2020 International Court of Justice judges election but was not elected.

In early 2022, Elias was appointed by the International Monetary Fund as a member of an external panel to strengthen institutional safeguards in the wake of a data scandal involving IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva during her time at the World Bank.

Elias is currently Judge Ad Hoc at ICJ and a full member of the Institut de Droit International. He has extensive experience as a lawyer and leader in various international organisations, including serving as a UN Assistant Secretary-General and as the Legal Adviser and Director at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague.

If elected, Taoheed Olufemi Elias, who is also the Secretary-General of the African Association of International Law, will be the fourth Nigerian to sit at the ICJ, after Charles Onyeama, Bola Ajibola, and Taslim Elias (his father).