Nigerian Lawyer Wins IBA Pro Bono Award in Copenhagen

Nigerian Lawyer, Yusuf Temilola Nurudeen, has won the International Bar Association (IBA) Pro Bono Award, for his commitmentx to expanding access to justice for indigent and vulnerable people. Nurudeen received the award on October 8, 2026, during the IBA’s annual awards breakfast in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was presented by Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, Chair of the IBA Section on Public and Professional Interest for 2025–2026. He dedicated the recognition to 141 volunteer Lawyers, working across 18 Nigerian States through the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development, also known as The Pro Bono Centre, providing legal assistance to people unable to afford representation. In his acceptance speech, Nurudeen traced his commitment to justice to his upbringing in Ikotun, Lagos, where he became the first Lawyer in his family. He recalled how wrongful imprisonment could have deprived his father of freedom, and potentially ended his own professional ambitions. He highlighted vulnerable Nigerians who remain detained because they cannot afford Lawyers, women trapped in abusive marriages, children denied maintenance and families facing property losses without access to legal representation. Nurudeen insisted that poverty should never determine whether citizens can defend their rights, describing pro bono service as a professional responsibility, rather than charity. He said the award was not an indication that their work was finished, but an encouragement to expand their reach and deepen their commitment to justice. Nurudeen reaffirmed his determination to ensure that nobody is too poor to obtain legal defence, too powerless to be heard, or too marginalised to receive protection under the law.