By Innocent Anaba

Former Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and Mr. Kayode Ajulo, SAN, Ondo State Attorney-General have won the ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards.

The awadees were recignised for their transformative roles in governance and policy at an event held in Lagos.

According to Founder and Publisher of ESQ Legal Blitz, Mr. Lere Fashola, the awardees were celebrated for their pivotal role in nation-building.

According to him, “The Nigerian Legal Awards celebrates the important contribution of lawyers to business and governance. They are the unseen architects of growth, governance, and trust in our economy.”

Fashola noted that this year’s edition reaffirmed ESQ’s commitment to spotlighting the transformative role of legal excellence in national development.

The awards were anchored on three major categories, Law Firm Practice Area Awards, Nigerian Rising Stars: 40 Under 40, and Editors’ Merit Awards. The first recognised exceptional firms for impactful commercial work; the second honoured young legal trailblazers under 40; while the third celebrated distinguished figures whose careers have significantly shaped governance and justice.

A rigorous, merit-based judging process was overseen by an international panel chaired by Mr. Kamal Shah of Stephenson Harwood LLP (UK), alongside Noella Lubano of Oraro & Company (Kenya) and Funmi Iyayi of Templars (Nigeria), among others.

Editors’ Merit Awardees received a crystal sage figure before a computer, symbolising the harmony of tradition and technology in modern legal practice.

Among the honourees were: Alhaji Hamed Raji, SAN, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his enduring service to the legal profession.

Mrs. Oyinkan Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, was named Legal Amazon of the Year for her exemplary leadership among female lawyers.

Now in its twelfth year, the ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards has become Nigeria’s foremost recognition platform for legal excellence.

Beyond accolades, the event underscored the essential role of lawyers as custodians of justice, enablers of commerce, and pillars of national stability.

As Fashola noted, “The progress of a nation depends not only on its laws, but on those who interpret, defend, and uphold them.”