Temitope Onifade

Temitope Onifade is completing his doctorate at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. Supervised by Dr Stepan Wood, he is investigating how law and society regulate low carbon economies, specifically the main role law plays, the limitations of this role, and how society can help law.

His research builds on his background, interest, training and experience. He is from Nigeria, and has lived at Benin, Edo State, within the notorious Niger Delta area, so he has witnessed some of the most gruesome environmental challenges arising from energy activities in that area. Influenced by this experience, he developed academic and professional interest in energy and environmental law and policy. To suit this interest, he is trained in law and environmental policy. He earned general Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from Nigeria, and specialized Master of Arts (Environmental Policy) and Laws (Energy and Environmental Law) degrees from Canada. Accordingly, he has worked as an energy and environmental lawyer for about four years at two law firms in Nigeria, taught energy and environmental law courses as a lecturer in Canada, worked on resource governance issues as a policy researcher with a provincial government in Canada and a policy think tank in the United States, and is currently working part-time with Social Impact Firm, a transnational corporate social responsibility law office in Canada. He has also collaborated on projects under various platforms, including the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, International Bar Association and Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

He has some work outputs that have shaped his research. His refereed publications have appeared in refereed international and university journals, most notably Energy Policy. He has also prepared policy materials and/or corporate documents for government departments and private organizations in Canada, Haiti, Nigeria, and the United States.

As part of his service to the community, he is currently a Director of Holistic Sustainable Development Network, an Advisory Board Member for Editorial Projects on an International Bar Association committee, and a Graduate Student Representative on the Faculty Council of the Peter A. Allard School of Law. In the past, he also served in various positions at the national and university levels in Nigeria, including as a President of the National Youth Service Corps of Nigeria Band and Chief Whip of the Students’ Representative Council of the Nigerian Law School Abuja.

 

SELECTED AWARDS AND HONOURS

  1. International Doctoral Fellowship, University of British Columbia, 2017.
  2. John Ballem QC LLD Postgraduate Fellowship in Energy Law, University of Calgary, 2017.
  3. Scholarship for Energy and Natural Resources Law Studies, International Bar Association, 2016.
  4. Sabin Colloquium on Innovative Environmental Law Scholarship, Columbia University, 2016.
  5. Graduate College Scholar, University of Calgary, 2016.
  6. Honourable N.D. McDermid Graduate Scholarship in Law, University of Calgary, 2015.
  7. Faculty of Graduate Studies Scholarship, University of Calgary, 2015.
  8. School of Graduate Studies Fellowship, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2014
  9. Departmental Scholarship, Memorial University, 2014.
  10. Oyo State Postgraduate Scholarship, Oyo State Government, 2012.
  11. Oyo State Law School Scholarship, Oyo State Government, 2010.
  12. The Justice Amina Augie Moot Award, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2008.
  13. Law Students’ Society Debate Award, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2008 (co-recipient with Ademola Faleti).
  14. Justice Chambers- Outstanding in Litigation, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2008.
  15. Justice Chambers- Outstanding in the Office of the Chief Scribe, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2008.
  16. Law Students’ Society Essay Competition Award, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2007 (representing 300 level Bachelor of Laws class).
  17. Law Students’ Society- Most Active Law Student, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2005.

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Sole-authored- “Environmental Law in Africa’s Non-renewable Extractive Sectors” (2018) in The Environment, Legal Issues and Critical Policies: An African Perspective (LexisNexis) forthcoming.
  2. Sole-authored- “Regulating Natural Resource Funds: Alaska Heritage Trust Fund, Alberta Permanent Fund, and Government Pension Fund of Norway” (2017) 6(2) Global Journal of Comparative Law (Brill) 138.
  3. Sole-authored- “Alberta, Canada, Royalty Review and Its Lessons for Resource Economies” (2017) 35(2) Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law (Taylor and Francis) 171.
  4. Sole-authored- “Young Lawyers’ Career Prospects: Views on Canadian Energy Law Practice” (2017) 2 Careers Bulletin: Newsletter of the International Bar Association Section on Public and Professional Interest (International Bar Association) 11.
  5. Sole-authored- “Hybrid Renewable Energy Support Policy in the Power Sector: The Contracts for Difference and Capacity Market Case Study” (2016) 95 Energy Policy (Elsevier) 390.
  6. Sole-authored- “Home State Interests in the Regulation of Sovereign Wealth Fund” (2016) Fall Issue International Legal Research Informer (American Society of International Law) 7.
  7. Sole-authored- “Peoples-based Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources: Toward Functional Distributive Justice?” (2015) 16(4) Human Rights Review (Springer) 343.
  8. Co-authored with Odunola Akinwale Orifowomo- “Differential Treatment in International Environmental Law and the Climate Regime: From ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’ to ‘Common but Differenced Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities” (2015) 5 University of Ibadan Journal of Public and International Law (University of Ibadan Faculty of Law) 1.
  9. Sole-authored- “Global Clues for Choosing Suitable Support Systems for Renewable Energy in the Power Sector” (2015) 6(1) Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review (Lexxion) 25.
  10. Co-authored with Bukola Ruth Akinbola- “Legal and Administrative Remedies in Environmental Law in Nigeria: Reform Proposition,” (2013) 1 Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti Law Journal 320.

 

SELECTED CONFERENCES

  1. Energy and Environment in the 21st Century, Calgary, October 20, 2017 (presented a paper titled “Regulating Low Carbon Economies in Canada: Law and Governance,” and Chaired a Panel on Energy Markets and Regulation).
  2. The Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law’s 3rd Annual INTLaw Conference, Winnipeg, April 25, 2017 (presented a paper titled “Law, Society, and the Regulation of Transnational Corporations in the Extractive Sector”).
  3. Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, June 2, 2016 (presented a paper titled “The Theory and Practice of Functional Distributive Justice: The Right of Participation and New Causes of Action”).
  4. Conference of the Canadian Law and Society Association, Calgary, May 28, 2016 (presented a paper titled “Public Interest Regulation of Non-renewable Natural Resource Funds: A Comparative Analysis of the Alaska Permanent Fund, Alberta Heritage Trust Fund, and Government Pension Fund of Norway”)
  5. Sabin Colloquium on Innovative Environmental Law Scholarship, New York, May 26, 2016 (presented a paper titled “Hybrid Renewable Energy Support Policy: What Can We Learn from the United Kingdom’s Contracts for Difference and Capacity Market”)
  6. University of Prince Edward Island Multidisciplinary Graduate Research Conference, Charlottetown, August 6, 2015 (presented a paper titled “From Risk Analysis to Risk Governance: The Case Study of the Ebola Virus Disease”).
  7. Environmental Policy Case Competition of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in partnership with Environmental Policy Institute, St John’s, February 24, 2015 (Co-presented a cabinet paper draft titled “Towards Minimizing Provincial Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Reducing Private Vehicle Operation through the Expansion of the Public Transit System in the St. John’s Census Metropolitan Area”)

Email: temitopeonifade@gmail.com