A Uk-based legal practitioner, Barrister Dayo Babalola has made the list of eminent Ekinrin-Adde indigenes to be conferred with Distinguished Community Development Service Award during the Ekinrin-Adde day Awards-Night program scheduled for 21st June 2024.
Speaking with our reporter, the National Publicity Secretary of Ekinrin-Adde Community Development Association (EACDA) Adewale Victor Adekanye disclosed that Barrister Dayo has made significant contributions to the development of the Community through various initiatives and programs.
Barrister Dayo Babalola was born into the family of the late High Chief S. O Babalola (who until his passing in 2014 was the Elekula of Ekinrin-Adde land) and Olori J.O Babalola.
Dayo’s late father was a direct descendant of Onare Babalola Orisaleke Babalohi, who was said to be the ruler of the Ekinrin aboriginals from 1681 to 1721.
His mother, Olori J.O Babalola (Nee Ajibulu) was the daughter of Olufakun S. Obagbemi Ajibulu and grand daughter of HRH, Olu Ajibulu who reigned as the Olu Adde of Ekinrin-Adde from 1926 to 1948.
Since both parents were teachers who had to be transferred from one school to another, Dayo’s primary education was normadic of some sort. He started his primary education from OLSMB Jege, Baptist OLSMB Ekinrin-Adde, OLSMB (KD) Ekinrin-Adde before he finally completed his elementary education at ILSMB Pake Ilorin in 1984.
His secondary education was similar. He was admitted into Government Secondary School (GSS) Ilorin in September 1984 but left for GSS Koton-Karfi before completing his Secondary school at Crowther Memorial College, Lokoja in 1990.
Dayo proceeded to the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin (Kwacoed) in 1991 to study Political Science and Social Studies (Sociology). He bagged his NCE certificate in 1994 and started working as a Class Teacher at the Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Lokoja in the same same year.
Barrister Dayo Babalola was very active in the students Union activities during his time at the college consequent upon which he was elected a member of the Students’ Representative Assembly, Secretary of the SUG Constitution Review Committee, Interim Speaker and later SUG Assistant Secretary General. He was at the forefront of the students’ Union demonstrations in Ilorin during the annulment of June 12 election.
He joined the Pioneer class of the Faculty of Law of Kogi State University, Anyigba now Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU) following the establishment of the University and graduated with honours in 2004. The same year, he proceeded to the Nigeria Law School, Lagos. While at the University, he was elected the President of the faculty and went on to make many firsts. For instance, He organized the first moot court in the Faculty which was presided over by the late Hon. Justice Tom Yakubu (JCA), he organized the first Law Week at the Faculty, he got approval from the faculty and established a Moot Court Room, he organized the first Law Dinner that gave the Law Students their first Law Dinner experience (Law Dinner, as a ceremony is part of the training for all lawyers all over the world).
He created the Balance Scale of Justice (Lady Justice) that was erected in front of the Faculty of Law at the University till date. An edifice that he invited the then Chief Judge, Justice Umaru Eri to commission. The CJ was represented by the late Hon. Justice Kayode Lesley.
Dayo was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005 and began cutting his legal teeth in Criminal Litigation as Counsel with the Legal Aid Council, Katsina in Katsina State. He later joined the Law Firm of MM Osuman (SAN) and Co. He was part of the team selected by the Federal Ministry of Justice for the prosecution of the Police officers involved in the popular Apo Six killings. He later moved to the Law Firm of Bayo Ojo and Co where he gained exposure to more criminal litigation and corporate legal practice, where he became a specialist in merger and acquisitions and other corporate practice areas.
Having successfully led high profile criminal and civil litigation matters, he was elevated as a Senior Associate and the Team Lead for the Abuja Law Office of Bayo Ojo & Co where he was directly under the mentorship of the Founding Partner of the firm until his relocation to the United Kingdom for his post graduate studies.
Dayo holds a post graduate degree in Law (LL.M) from the prestigious University of Law and worked in various corporate spectrum of the UK’S private and public service.
He worked as Anti Money Laundering Analyst with the Royal Bank of Scotland UK before joining the National Westminster Bank (NatWest Bank) as Regulatory Compliance Executive preparatory to the coming into effect of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In 2014 he moved to the Financial Condult Authority (the UK’S Financial Services Regulator) as Competition Policy Analyst before he was potched by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) as an Ombudsman. As at the time he left the Financial Ombudsman Service in 2020, he was a Lead Ombudsman.
He joined UK’S Ministry of Justice as a Lead Consultant for Her Majesty’s Court’s and Tribunal Service (HMCTS). While at HMCTS, he helped in the revamp of the “Help with Fees Scheme” (HwFS) which was a scheme to help indigent citizens pay their legal fees. Barely two years after making significant changes to the Ministry of Justice, Dayo opted to join one of UK’S leading Public Sector Consultancy Mercator Digital, where he became an External Consultant to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) with a responsibility (among others) of leading other Consultants to migrate from the legacy customs and excise declaration platform called Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) to a brand new world following UK exit from the EUs common market.
Within a year after taking up that responsibility, and following on the UK government’s negotiated BREXIT terms, Dayo’s team made ready, tested and launched a brand new Customs Declaration Service (CDS) platform for use, thereby enabling UK government to gracefully exit the EU common market and providing businesses within and from outside the UK make their Customs Declaration with ease in the post brexit era.
Dayo is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK, member of the Nigerian Bar Association, member of the International Bar Association, and member of the Chartham House, UK.
He attended many Professional courses and participated in International seminars within and outside the UK. For instance, He was at the Harvard University’s Centre for International Studies in 2016 as part of the cohort for Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation. In 2022, Dayo attended Oxford University’s Leading Strategic Project Course. And in 2024, following the advent of AI as the fourth industrial revolution, Dayo was back at Oxford University to be trained and participated in Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme. He currently leads the Consultancy’s AI Team and working with other experts on the Consultancy’s adoption and implementation of Artificial Intelligence to enhance their Consultancy work.
Dayo has been a very active participant in Community development initiatives in Ekinrin-Adde since 1983 when his dad hosted the EACDA meeting at their residence in Amilegbe, Ilorin. Dayo served as the Secretary of the Abuja branch of the EACDA. He was also the National Legal Adviser of the association. He was one of the Founding members of the EACDA UK branch and he has consistently supported the leadership of that branch since it’s formation. He initiated the Omo Ekinrin-Adde Lapapo and Ekinrin-Adde Political Hub with like minded Ekinrin-Adde patriots. The platforms have contributed significantly to the social-Political conversations that have led to some developments of Ekinrin-Adde.
He was a National President of Ekinrin-Adde Students Union in his University days; he remains one of the legal advisers of the Union you date. He is also the hand behind the formation of and Chairs the Board of Trustees of Akogba Mountain Resort Initiative of Ekinrin-Adde, the organizers of now internationally renowned Akogba Mountain Hike, which aim is not only to open Ekinrin-Adde’s tourism potential to the world, but that her people may reap the benefits thereof.
Dayo loves football and supports Manchester United. He also loves good music and was at some point a Church Organist at the First Baptist Church, Lokoja and United English Baptist Church, Lokoja.
He plays Golf very well and he is a member of the Gravesend Golf Club in Kent as well as Doncaster Golf Club in Yorkshire both in the United Kingdom.
He is happily married with children.
