Advisory

Professor Sola Akinrinade, FNAL, teaches at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he is a Professor of African Diplomatic History and International Relations. Between 2007 and 2012, he served as the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo, and from 2014 to December 2020, served as the pioneer Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, the research and training arm of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. He is a Fellow and Immediate Past President, Nigerian Academy of Letters (FNAL); Fellow, Historical Society of Nigeria (FHSN); and Fellow, Society for Peace Studies and Practice (fspsp).

Professor Akinrinade obtained his degrees from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London. He had additional training as a Ford Foundation Fellow, Advanced Seminar on US Foreign Policy Process, at the School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States. He is also an alumnus of the Executive Education programme in Applying Behavioural Insights to the Design of Public Policy of Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University.

Adeoluwa Folami is a doctoral scholar in the Higher Education Administration cohort at the School of Education and Urban Studies (SEUS) at Morgan State University. She has a postgraduate diploma in educational administration and a master’s in public administration.

She is a pre-Doctoral fellow at the Center for Urban Health Equity. She is interested in research focused on international students’ experiences with institutional systems and structures. She loves reading, traveling, cooking, and meeting people.

Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka is a geophysicist and higher education leader who obtained his BSc from the University of Ibadan, MSc from Imperial College London, and PhD from the University of Birmingham. He joined the University of Ibadan faculty in 1988, rising to Professor in 1999, and has supervised 19 PhD theses. He served as Head of the Department of Geology, Dean of the Postgraduate School, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) before becoming Vice-Chancellor, where he led the university into the 401-500 band of the Times Higher Education Ranking, established four new faculties and 22 departments, and strengthened undergraduate admissions. He founded the West African Research and Innovation Management Association and chaired the Board of the African Research Universities Alliance. A Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and numerous other learned societies, he continues to teach, mentor early-career researchers, and serve as a technical resource person for vice-chancellor appointments across Nigerian universities.

Grace Chimezie brings over a decade of experience in communications, data analysis, learning design and program management. She advises iRead Initiative on higher education policy, research strategy, technology innovation, and data-informed approaches to expanding educational opportunity. She holds dual master's degrees in Technology Policy and Health Informatics and currently oversees data implementation for U.S. government-funded fellowship programs.

Deborah Toluwase Kolawole is an award-winning development communications specialist, education advocate and public-interest professional who uses storytelling, advocacy and strategic communication to drive social change. With over five years of experience across education, health, governance and development, she focuses on improving systems and amplifying issues affecting citizens' quality of life. As leader of Reform Education Nigeria, she champions equitable access to quality education and youth participation in shaping Nigeria's education future, helping bring issues such as poor infrastructure and gaps in basic education delivery to policymakers' attention. She has participated in high-level education initiatives, including a summit organised with the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria that brought together both Ministers of Education and heads of major education agencies. In health-development, she has contributed to initiatives on primary healthcare, health promotion and HIV prevention, including impact reporting in Kaduna State with the Centre for Communications and Social Impact, with training and support from institutions including the World Health Organization and UNICEF. She is committed to building a society where public institutions are accountable, young people can thrive, and communication translates policy into meaningful change.

Prof. Isaac N. Obasi is a Professor of Public Administration specializing in public policy, labour relations, higher education policy and public sector reforms. He holds a B.Sc from the University of Ibadan (1981) and M.Sc and Ph.D degrees from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Over a 44-year academic career, he taught at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, the University of Botswana and the University of Abuja, and retired in August 2026. He is a 2023 University of Abuja Golden Award winner for meritorious service. A prolific scholar, he has authored eight books (singly and jointly) and over 80 academic publications, alongside more than 360 newspaper articles on higher education policy in outlets including Daily Trust and Daily Champion, and currently writes for Sundiata Post Online and The News Chronicle Online.

He has served as a visiting scholar at State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo and an affiliate scholar at SUNY Albany's PROPHE program, and was a research grantee of the Association of African Universities on higher education policy and management.

Jamila Idris is a policy strategist, systems thinker and institutional architect whose work sits at the intersection of public policy, institutional development, human capital and wealth systems. Her experience spans public service in Kaduna State, work with the Bauchi State Ministry of Education, and nonprofit leadership addressing community development challenges, shaping her understanding of how policy, institutions and economic systems intersect to influence societal outcomes. She strengthened this grounding through the Policy, Strategy and Leadership Course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru. Her current work centers on Sovereign Wealth Systems, an institutional approach to designing wealth, human capital, families, enterprises, governance and infrastructure for sustainable, transgenerational prosperity. She brings to the Advisory Board a systems-level approach to education policy, examining how institutions, infrastructure and economic opportunity can work together to build stronger human capital and advance Nigeria's long-term development.

Jake Okechukwu Effoduh is an Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law of Toronto Metropolitan University. His expertise is in AI governance and international law.

He has contributed to a broad range of global AI policy development, including for the UN’s AI Governance for Humanity Lab.

He has advised several countries on their AI governance frameworks, including Canada, the United States, Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, China, and Nigeria.

He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Transnational Technology Law Review and a UNESCO Expert on AI and the Rule of Law.