Nigerian international human rights lawyer, Jake Effoduh has been appointed as a tenure-track assistant professor by the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Effoduh is the most recent addition to the faculty of the renowned law school, named after the first Black member of parliament in Canada’s House of Commons.
Sharing the news on Twitter, Effoduh said “With utmost delight, starting 1/1/24, I’ll be joining the prestigious @LincAlexLawTMU as a tenure-track assistant professor.
“This is my ultimate dream come true, and I am honoured to join such an outstanding school that is shaping the future of pedagogy.”
Responding to his announcement, the institution’s official account also tweeted: “Extending a warm welcome to you Professor Effoduh. See you on campus in the new year!”
“This is the latest accomplishment by Effoduh, currently a Vanier Scholar and Ph.D. candidate at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, where he is conducting research on the impact of the legitimization of artificial intelligence on the pursuit of human rights in Africa.”
Prior to his appointment, he served as the Chief Counsel at the Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC); a Partner at Praxis and Gnosis, an Abuja-based law firm; and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Frontier Risks.
The decorated lawyer and academic has held fellowships at the Harvard Library Innovation Lab of Harvard Law School; the Centre for Law, Technology, and Society at the University of Ottawa; the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance of the University of Cape Town; and the Center for Human Rights Science of Carnegie Mellon University.
He has also delivered lectures at various institutions in South Africa, Germany, Spain, Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.
Born in Lagos in 1987, Effoduh spent most of his childhood in Abuja.
He bagged a law degree at the University of Abuja in 2010, graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 2012, and obtained two master’s degrees: one from the University of Oxford in 2015 and one from York University in 2017.