Professor Akin Oyebode was born in Ikole Ekiti on 9th December, 1947. He attended the famous Christ‘s School, Ado Ekiti for both his Secondary and Higher School Certificate Education. He proceeded to Kiev State University, Ukraine on a Federal Government scholarship in 1967 to study international Law.

After obtaining the LL.M. with highest distinction, he returned to the country in 1973 and joined the University of Lagos as an Assistant Lecturer. In 1974, he was admitted to the Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, obtaining another LL.M. in 1975. He subsequently went to the Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada, the largest and leading law school in Canada, earning the Doctor of Jurisprudence (D.Jur.) in 1988, having specialized in the Law of Treaties.

In 1991, the new Chairman of Council was appointed Professor of Law and founding Dean of the Faculty of Law of the then Ondo State University, a position he held until 1997, when he returned to the University of Lagos. Two years later, he was invited back to become the Vice-Chancellor of the then University of Ado-Ekiti. Upon the completion of his term in 2004, he once again returned to the University of Lagos, where he has been occupying the Chair of International Law and Jurisprudence. He was also the Chairman of the University’s Office of International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects.

Professor Oyebode has to his credit 7 books and monographs and over 200 learned papers. He has been an assessor for professorial appointments and external examiner to many universities at home and abroad. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the African and African-American Foundation on Science, Education and Economic Development(AFSEE) Inc., New York, Centre for Advanced Social Science (CASS), Port Harcourt, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Chair, International Advisory Board, Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Consultant, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna, former Chair, Catholic Secretariat Think-Tank, etc. and was recently appointed a Consultant by the African Union (AU) and charged with the task of drafting the Convention on Cross-border Cooperation in Africa. He is a Fellow, Nigerian Association of International Affairs and Member of the Governing Council, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Member, Governing Council, University of Lagos, Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), Member, UNESCO List of Mediators and Conciliators and Member, Board of Trustees, Obafemi Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Member, Steering Committee, Ekiti Knowledge Zone (EKZ) and Delegate to the National Conference, 2014.

Professor Akin Oyebode has won numerous awards including First Foreign Graduate to be inducted to the Permanent Roll of Honour of Kiev State University, National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADL) Distinguished Jurist Award, Best Law Lecturer, Final Year Students of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (5 years running), outstanding Law Teacher, Justice Chambers, Obafemi Awolowo University, Role Model Award, Leadership Watch, etc.

He is an avid commentator on current affairs and is happily married to a lawyer with three children, two of whom are lawyers.