Ayo Obe
{{Short description|British-Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ayo Obe
| image = File:Ayo Obe cropped.png
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|05|24|df=yes}}
| nationality = Nigerian-British
| alma_mater = University of Wales
| occupation = Lawyer
| organization = Civil Liberties Organisation
| known_for = Human rights activism
| movement = Bring Back Our Girls
| children = 1
}}
Ayo Obe (born 24 May, 1955) is a Nigerian lawyer, columnist, TV and radio presenter and human rights activist.{{Cite web|last=Ugbodaga|first=Mary|date=2021-03-08|title=IWD 2021: Celebrating 13 Nigerian women who deserve a place on the naira note|url=https://www.thecable.ng/iwd-2021-celebrating-12-nigerian-women-who-deserve-a-place-on-the-naira-note|access-date=2021-05-16|website=TheCable|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2017-05-03|title=Premium Times names ombudsman board for public oversight of its journalism|url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/230235-premium-times-names-ombudsman-board-public-oversight-journalism.html|access-date=2021-05-30|website=Premium Times|language=en-GB}}
Early life and education
Obe was born on 24 May, 1955 in the United Kingdom to Nigerian parents. She attended the University of Wales.{{Cite web|last=Oladipo|first=Bimpe|date=2019-03-04|title=OBE, Mrs. Ayo|url=https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/obe-mrs-ayo/|access-date=2021-05-30|website=Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation|language=en-US}}
Career
Obe is known for Nigeria's human rights, legal and social movements, and advocating for democratic reforms. She was the president of the Civil Liberties Organisation{{Cite web|last=|date=2020-05-26|title=Why Does It Matter That Ayo Obe, Eghosa Osaghae, Femi Falana Are Turning 60+?|url=https://intervention.ng/20306/|access-date=2021-05-30|website=Intervention|language=en-US}} and advocated for the actualisation of Chief MKO Abiola's 1993 presidential election victory.{{Cite web|last=Sherlaw|first=Meave|date=2016-02-22|title=The Lagos power list: 21 people in 21 million|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/22/the-lagos-power-list-21-people-in-21-million|access-date=2021-05-30|website=The Guardian|language=en}} She was listed as one of the heroes of June 12.{{Cite web|last=Ajeluorou|first=Anote|title=Heroes and villains of June 12|url=https://guardian.ng/politics/heroes-and-villains-of-june-12/|access-date=2021-05-30|website=The Guardian (Nigeria)|language=en-US}} Her passport was seized in March 1996 while leaving Nigeria to attend a meeting of the UN Human Rights Committee in New York as a result of her activism.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q4AHAQAAMAAJ&q=Ayo+Obe|title=Human Rights Watch/Africa|date=1996|publisher=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}
She chaired the Transition Monitoring Group which was an election-monitoring and democracy-building coalition of Nigerian NGOs from 1999 to 2001. She also represented the coalition from 2001 to 2006 at the Police Service Commission (PSC).
She serves as a managing partner in a Lagos-based law firm named Ogunsola-Shonibare and sits on the board of multiple civil society organisations such as Goree Institute and the International Crisis Group.
From 2004 to April 2008, Obe chaired the World Movement for Democracy's steering committee and, by virtue of holding that position, served on the African Democracy Forum's steering committee. She took part in the Managing Global Insecurity project run by the Brookings Institution, New York University, and Stanford University. She also participated in panels at the Oslo, Beijing, and Women's forums.{{Cite web |title=Ayo Obe |url=https://www.wise-qatar.org/biography/ayo-obe/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=Wise |language=en-US}}
Publications
- The Challenging Case of Nigeria (2007){{Cite journal|last=Obe|first=Ayo|date=2007|title=The Challenging Case of Nigeria|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/775218836|journal=Right to Know: Transparency for an Open World Right to Know: Transparency for an Open World / Ann Florini, Ed., ISBN 9780231141581|language=English|pages=143–175|doi=10.7312/flor14158-005|oclc=775218836}}
- Aspirations and Realities in Africa: Nigeria's Emerging Two-Party System? (2019){{Cite journal|last=Obe|first=Ayo|date=2019|title=Aspirations and Realities in Africa: Nigeria's Emerging Two-Party System?|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/729173|journal=Journal of Democracy|volume=30|issue=3|pages=109–123|doi=10.1353/jod.2019.0046|s2cid=199355128|issn=1086-3214}}
- The Relationship between Divine and Human Law: Shari'a Law and the Nigerian Constitution (2005)