About Professor I. O. Smith
Professor Imran Oluwole Smith is an alumnus of the University of Lagos (LL.B, LL.M); the Nigerian Law School (1983 set); National University of Ireland (PhD); The Hague Academy of International Law, Netherlands; and Said Business School Oxford in the U.K. Prof. Smith belongs to the two worlds of academics and law practice: He is Professor of Private and Property Law at the University of Lagos-Nigeria; a Senior Advocate of Nigeria; a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales; a Notary Public for Nigeria; and a Professorial Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in the United Kingdom; Fellow, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria; an accomplished Arbitrator, a Tax Consultant and the Head of Chambers, 'Wole Smith & Co. (a firm of legal practitioners). He is a Consultant to many corporate bodies and top law chambers in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom on the Law of Credit and Security, Insolvency Law, Land Law and Tax Law, and has been engaged as expert witness severally by the High Court of Justice in England within the last ten years. Professor Smith is the author of many books, including Practical Approach to Law of Real Property in Nigeria; Nigerian Law of Secured Credit; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Annotated; and Landlord and Tenant Law in Nigeria. He is author of articles in many reputable local and foreign journals and a commissioned writer of the work on Nigerian Property Law and Trust by the International Encyclopaedia of Laws, Netherlands. He is an awardee of many academic and professional awards in Nigeria and abroad. He loves Table Tennis and Swimming, and plays the Piano freely.
Prof Smith was the Head, Department of Private and Property Law, University of Lagos 2001-2002, 2007-2010, 2016-2019; the Dean of Law, University of Lagos 2012-2014; Dean of Law, Lagos State University 2004-2006; Director of Law Centre, Lagos State University 1994-1996; and Member, Council of Legal Education 2004-2006, 2012-2014. He was a Member of Council, Lagos State College of Education, Ijanikin-Lagos State (now Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education)1991-1993; Member, Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Ajah land disputes 2005-2006; Member of the Governing Board, National Universities Commission (NUC) and Chairman, Universities Development Committee and Member, Quality Assurance Committee 2018 to date.
