Jake Okechukwu Effoduh Explained

Jake Okechukwu Effoduh
Birth Date:1987 12, df=yes[1]
Birth Place:Lagos, Nigeria[2]
Education:Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, University of Abuja, Nigerian Law School, University of Oxford
Years Active:2006–present
Occupation:Lawyer and Academician
Known For:Radio presenter with BBC Media Action, human rights law, non-profit law, and Artificial intelligence law

Jake Okechukwu Effoduh (born 12 December 1987)[1] is a Nigerian lawyer, human rights activist, and academic currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. He is known for hosting Flava, a popular community radio show produced by BBC Media Action. He later hosted Talk Your Own: Make Naija Better, a radio programme that aired on over 100 stations across Nigeria, reaching millions of listeners. The programme tackled critical societal issues, ranging from health and education to civic rights and governance, aiming to empower Nigerians with knowledge and tools for advocacy.

Early life and education

Effoduh was born in Lagos on 12 December 1987.[2] In 1992, his family moved to Abuja where he attended primary school. For secondary school, he attended Federal Government College in Minna, Niger. At University of Abuja,[3] he studied Public and International law and was involved as a president of several student organisations including the student magazine, human rights club, Red Cross Society, and International Humanitarian Law Advocates Club. He got a his Diploma in Civil and Private Law in 2006.[4] He received his LL.B in public and international law in 2010,[4] and became a founding partner of the school's "pro bono" office, which participated in several national and international law competitions, including one from Network of University Legal Aid Institution (NULAI).[5] [6] He went on to attend Nigerian Law School and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar Association in February 2012.[4] He obtained his first masters degree from the University of Oxford in 2015 and a second masters from York University in 2017.[7]

Radio

Effoduh was a fan of BBC Media Action (BBC World Service Trust); when he heard that they were auditioning for a male presenter for a new show called Flava, he tried out and was eventually selected from 62 candidates.[2] He originally freelanced as a radio presenter for the programme to help finance his university education, but it had also increased his desires to help the community.[1] [2] From 2006 to 2013, he anchored Flava, a youth lifestyle and sexual reproductive health magazine programme where he addressed issues on HIV/AIDS among others. Effoduh has noted that Flava grew to broadcast on 103 radio stations in Nigeria,[4] and is one of the most popular radio programmes in the West Africa region. It also gave him an opportunity to travel to all 36 states of Nigeria,[1] as well as 214 local government areas.[2] In November 2012, Effoduh was recognised as the Best Community Show Presenter at the 2012 Nigeria Radio Awards.[8] [9]

In January 2013, Effoduh began hosting a new programme, Talk Your Own: Make Naija Better (Talk Your Own Make Nigeria Better)[2] a 30-minute show covering governance issues in Nigeria.[1] [2] [4] It has aired on over a hundred stations, with the aim of a more inclusive and wider listener base. He also noted that BBC Media Action wanted to train radio presenters to produce and host more localised shows.[4]

Career

For his National Youth Service Corps primary assignment[10] Effoduh worked in the law firm of Afe Babalola SAN & co. In 2013, he became a research fellow with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.[2]

He is a Partner at Praxis & Gnosis Law and a Vanier Scholar at the Osgoode Hall Law School in Canada. He is currently serving at the Global Future Council for Fronter Risks.[11]

Effoduh is currently an assistant professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law of the Toronto Metropolitan University of Canada. Moreover, he served as the chief councillor of the Africa–Canada artificial intelligence and data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC), mobilizing AI and Big Data techniques which build public health strategies in Canada and other 20 African countries.[12]

He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Frontier Risks and a Forum expert on human rights. HeHe has held Fellowships at the Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, Mandela School of Governance (South Africa), and the Pan-African Lawyers Union (Tanzania).[13]

Activism

In August 2011, Effoduh spent three weeks in the quarters of the sex worker community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria, where he researched the human rights abuses faced by that population. He presented "Legal Protection of Sex Workers: a need to achieving effective HIV/AIDS intervention in the sex worker population of Nigeria" as a poster exhibition at the XIX International AIDS Conference held in Washington, DC in July 2012.[14] He also presented his information at the TEDxAbuja conference in October.[15]

In June 2012, he was invited by the United States Department of State to be the Nigerian representative and one of 20 journalists from 20 countries for a global reporting tour.[1] [16] He has published a series of articles of his experience there.[17]

Effoduh has been involved with the Sickle Cell Aid Foundation (SCAF), established in 2010 as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for the aid and support of indigent persons diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria.[4] [18] SCAF has set up sickle cell clubs in many secondary schools; in 2011 they donated drugs to local hospitals in the FCT and campaigned for better educating the public on sickle cell anaemia.[19] In 2012, he introduced the Know Your Genotype campaign, which provides free genotype testing for one million Nigerians.[20] He served as the organisation's vice-president. He was nominated for The Future Awards Africa for his advocacy work in 2013.[2] [21] [22]

In 2017, Effoduh moderated a panel at Oxford University's OAC Breaking the Frame[works] conference at the Blavatnik School of Government, discussing the changing state of the African continent, on the topics of media transformation and technology. He was part of the initialing of monumental heirloom the Philosopher's Legacy.[23]

Publications

Published book and book chapters in edited collections

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Articles

Artificial Intelligence, Law, and Social Justice

Effoduh’s research delves into the intersections of international law, human rights, and artificial intelligence, exploring how these fields converge to shape social justice.[33] His scholarly contributions have been featured in some publications, including the Harvard Human Rights Journal, Oxford University Press, Journal of Robotics, AI & Law, African Journal of Legal Studies, and TWAIL Review.[34] Currently, he serves as Production Editor for the Transnational Human Rights Review, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing transnational human rights principles and practices.[35]

Effoduh has lectured at institutions across Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Spain, and the UK. As a Ph.D. candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School, his research investigates the influence of AI on human rights in Africa, focusing on whether AI will help resolve or exacerbate the “popular legitimization crises” that activist movements in the region are confronting.[36]

Personal life

Effoduh's family is Catholic, but he has mentioned that his childhood friends were Muslims from northern Nigeria.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: In Conversations: Onyeka Nwelue talks to Jake Okechukwu Effoduh . WeRunThings . 15 September 2012 . Nwelue . Onyeka . 21 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322031906/http://www.werunthings.net/in-conversations-onyeka-nwelue-talks-to-jake-okechukwu-effoduh/ . 22 March 2014 . dead .
  2. Web site: Jake Okechukwu Effoduh; The Radio Presenter . Zimuzo . 14 January 2013 . 21 March 2014.
  3. Web site: Jake Okechukwu Effoduh now a Queen Elizabeth Scholar . RefinedNG . 2020-11-09 . 2023-06-01.
  4. Web site: Egbeyinka . Olusegun . Jake Okechukwu Effoduh: A Radio Presenter . Young Naija Entrepreneurs . 11 January 2014 . 22 March 2014 . 22 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322072216/http://youngnaijaentrepreneurs.com/2014/01/10/jake-okechukwu-effoduh-a-radio-presenter/ . dead .
  5. Web site: Okechukwu Effoduh - PHD Students . 2024-01-15 . Osgoode Hall Law School . en-US.
  6. Web site: Jake Okechukwu EFFODUH Global Shapers, Abuja . 2024-01-15 . en-US.
  7. Web site: Okechukwu Effoduh . 2022-04-26 . Osgoode Hall Law School . en-US.
  8. Web site: THE FIRST NIGERIA RADIO AWARDS | Richykuzee's Blog . Richykuzee.wordpress.com . 26 November 2012 . 22 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322014324/http://richykuzee.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/the-first-nigeria-radio-awards/ . 22 March 2014 . dead .
  9. News: Nigeria Radio Awards . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130101124548/http://www.nigeriaradioawards.com/ . 1 January 2013 .
  10. Effoduh's assignment for the National Youth Service Corps took place from November 2011 to November 2012.
  11. Web site: Jake Effoduh . 2022-04-26 . THE GREEN INSTITUTE . en-US.
  12. Web site: January 15, 2024 . Jake Okechukwu Effoduh . January 15, 2024 . Word Economic Forum.
  13. Web site: Okechukwu Effoduh - PHD Students . 2024-01-15 . Osgoode Hall Law School . en-US.
  14. Web site: AIDS 2012 Abstract – Human rights and legal protection of sex workers: a necessity to achieving effective HIV/AIDS intervention amongst the sex work population of Nigeria . Effoduh . Okechukwu . . 2012 . 23 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322014229/http://pag.aids2012.org/abstracts.aspx?aid=5038 . 22 March 2014 . dead .
  15. Web site: Speakers . TEDxAbuja . 2012 . 22 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140401162928/http://tedxabuja.com/speakers/ . 1 April 2014 . dead .
  16. Web site: State Department Brings Overseas Journalists to GLAAD . Aaron . McQuade . . 8 June 2012 . 22 March 2014 . 22 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322013629/http://www.glaad.org/blog/state-department-brings-overseas-journalists-glaad . dead .
  17. Articles by Effoduh during visit to US:
  18. Web site: Sickle Cell Aid Foundation | About Us . SCAF . 22 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140621012542/http://scaf.com.ng/scaf-about-us.html . 21 June 2014 . dead .
  19. Web site: Sickle Cell Culbs Scheme (SCCS) – Sickle Cell Aid Foundation. 2021-05-31. en-US. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213920/https://scaf.org.ng/services/sickle-cell-culbs-scheme-sccs/. dead.
  20. Web site: AsuquoE . 2017-04-24 . Nigeria's Okechukwu Effoduh to deliver Keynote Address at the University of Oxford . 2022-05-26 . TalkMedia Africa . en-US.
  21. Web site: The Class of 2013: The full profile of nominees of The Future Awards Africa | . 16 July 2013 . Ynaija.com . 21 March 2014.
  22. Web site: Sickle Cell Aid Foundation . SCAF . 22 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140621040459/http://scaf.com.ng/about-us/team.html . 21 June 2014 . dead .
  23. Web site: Leaders endorse "Phylosophers' Legacy", a monumental piece. Talk Media Africa. 28 October 2017. Dec 9, 2017.
  24. Web site: A Global South Perspective on Explainable AI . 2024-11-06 . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . en.
  25. Effoduh . Jake Okechukwu . Akpudo . Ugochukwu Ejike . Kong . Jude Dzevela . 2023 . Towards an Inclusive Data Governance Policy for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Africa . SSRN Electronic Journal . en . 10.2139/ssrn.4581619 . 1556-5068.
  26. Web site: 2024-11-06 . TWAILR . 2024-11-06 . TWAILR . en-US.
  27. Okafor . Obiora Chinedu . Owie . Udoka Ndidiamaka . Effoduh . Okechukwu . Zarma . Rahina . 2022-05-31 . The ECOWAS Court and Civil Society Activists in Nigeria: An Anatomy and Analysis of a Robust Symbiosis . African Journal of Legal Studies . 14 . 4 . 491–521 . 10.1163/17087384-bja10068 . 2210-9730.
  28. Web site: The Legitimization of Customized Sex Robots in - ProQuest . 2024-11-06 . www.proquest.com . en.
  29. Web site: 2024-10-14 . Colonial Judicial Legacy as a Latent Challenge for the Adoption of Algorithmic Sentencing in African Courts . 2024-11-06 . Opinio Juris . en-US.
  30. Web site: Econolocy . September 29, 2024 . Africa’s AI Odyssey: Surfing the waves of innovation amidst digital storms . live . November 6, 2024 . Econolocy Africa.
  31. Web site: Lawfare Daily Jake Effoduh on AI and the Global South . 2024-11-06 . Default . en.
  32. Web site: Home - ALPSP Annual Conference and Awards 2024 . 2024-11-06 . alpsp.cventevents.com.
  33. Web site: 2020-11-26 . THE GREEN ROOM (Episode 7): Jake Effoduh on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights and Sustainable Development . 2024-11-07 . THE GREEN INSTITUTE . en-US.
  34. Web site: Jake Effoduh . 2024-11-07 . Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) . en.
  35. Web site: Jake Okechukwu Effoduh . 2024-11-07 . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . en.
  36. Web site: Jake Okechukwu Effoduh Osgoode Hall Law School - York University . 2024-11-07 . Osgoode Hall Law School . en-US.

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