The University of Lagos Faculty of Law has a new dean, with Professor Adejoke Oyewunmi formally assuming office on August 1, 2026, becoming only the third woman to lead the faculty since its establishment.

Oyewunmi takes over as the 20th Dean of the Faculty of Law, succeeding Professor Abiola Sanni, SAN, whose two year tenure closed with a record of institutional growth across governance, research, infrastructure and international collaboration.

She follows Professors C. K. Agomo and Ayodele Atsenuwa as the third woman to occupy the position in the faculty's history.

A scholar with more than three decades at the University of Lagos, Oyewunmi obtained her Bachelor of Laws from Obafemi Awolowo University before completing postgraduate studies at UNILAG. She also holds a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property from the Franklin Pierce Law Center, University of New Hampshire, United States, and a doctorate from Obafemi Awolowo University. She is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's foremost authorities in Intellectual Property and Labour Law.

Her appointment comes on the back of a tenure that elevated the faculty's standing considerably. Under Sanni, the faculty launched the UNILAG and University of Dundee Dual LL.M. Programme and established the Women in Legal Academia project. Students produced 43 First Class graduates at the Nigerian Law School in 2025 and 34 in 2026.

The faculty also claimed global recognition when its team won the 2026 World Intellectual Property Organisation IP Moot Court Competition, defeating teams from over 200 law schools worldwide. Oyewunmi co coached the winning team alongside other Intellectual Property lecturers.

Infrastructure recorded significant advancement during the same period, with alumni support driving the renovation of learning facilities, upgrades to digital and alternative energy systems, and the initiation of a faculty elevator, library redevelopment and plans for a new faculty building.

Efforts to formalise alumni engagement resulted in the adoption of a constitution for the proposed Faculty of Law Alumni Association and plans for a structured Alumni Relations and Advancement Office.

Oyewunmi now inherits a faculty with elevated benchmarks, and stakeholders expect her to consolidate those gains while advancing legal education, research output and global relevance.