Godswill Agbaitoro, PhD Candidate
Godswill Agbaitoro LLM, BL, LLB
g.agbaitoro@essex.ac.uk
Biography
Godswill Agbaitoro is a Doctoral Researcher in the School of Law, University of Essex, UK, and has been a Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC), Texas, USA. His research interests lie in the areas of international energy law and policy, environmental law, and international arbitration in the energy sector. His prior work experience includes practicing as a lawyer in the field of energy following his qualification as a Barrister and Solicitor in Nigeria in 2012, working as a research assistant to the Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Edo State, Nigeria, and serving as a peer reviewer for the Journal of African Law (Cambridge University Press), and Commonwealth Law Bulletin (Routledge) AND Essex Student Journal. Godswill received a Master of Laws (LLM), Oil and Gas Law, 2014, University of Aberdeen, UK, and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), 2010, Madonna University, Nigeria.
Thesis
An Integrated Approach to Nigeria’s Energy Crisis: the Energy Justice Compass
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thoko Kaime
Year of Entry: 2018
Research
My research explores the extent to which the principles embedded in the energy justice framework can be deployed as a strategic tool for addressing some aspects of the energy problems underpinned by justice concerns in Nigeria, including the articulation of providing just energy systems for all.
The research sets out to understand the energy problems characterized by justice issues in Nigeria’s energy law and policy systems. In this regard, it analyses the energy problems associated with the energy crisis and then uses the energy justice concept/framework and principles as a normative tool to address them.
Of great importance to the research, is the operationalisation of the energy justice principles towards the delivery of just energy systems in Nigeria. In this light, the research argues for the operationalisation of the principles from a practical perspective that takes into account the nature of the energy problems that Nigeria faces. It is hoped that this conception will help policymakers, as well as decision-makers, to put in place measures that will lead to ‘just’ and ‘reasonable’ outcomes in the operation of energy systems in Nigeria.
Publications
B. Faturoti, G. Agbaitoro and O. Onya ‘Environmental Protection in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry and Jonah Gbemre v Shell PDC Nigeria Limited: Let the Plunder Continue?’ (2019) African Journal of International and Comparative Law 27 (2) 225-245
G.A Agbaitoro, ‘Enforcing Constitutional Environmental Rights in Court: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and India’ (2018) 3 (1) Miyetti Quarterly Law Review 119-150
G.A. Agbaitoro, ‘Is Having a Robust Energy Mix a Panacea for Resolving the Energy Crisis in Nigeria?’ (2017) 7 (4) Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review 7-16
G. Agbaitoro and N. Kejeh ‘Moving Towards a Robust Governance Regime for the Decommissioning of Offshore Energy Installations in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry’ (2017) 2 (3) Miyetti Quarterly Law Review 99-127
G. Agbaitoro; M. Amakoromo and E. Wifa ‘Enforcement Challenges in the Protection of the Environment from Upstream Petroleum Operations in Nigeria: The Need for Judicial and Regulatory Independence’ (2017) 3 International Energy Law Review 85-93
G.A. Agbaitoro and E. Ojong-Okongor ‘Resolving the Implications of Maritime Boundary and Delimitation Disputes on Oil and Gas Industry Growth and Development in the West African sub-Region: The Way Forward’ OGEL 1 (2017), www.ogel.org
M.K. Amakoromo and G.A. Agbaitoro ‘Reforming the Regulatory Framework for Offshore Health and Safety in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry: Lessons from the United Kingdom’ OGEL 4 (2016), www.ogel.org
Conferences
Extractives and Beyond: Responding to the Energy Transitions and their Impact on Petroleum Investments in Africa – Held on 22nd May 2020 at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK
Energy Law and Policy in Nigeria: Any Role for the International Energy Charter? Paper presented at the Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference held 3-6 September 2019 at Central Lancashire University, UK
Energy Crisis and Natural Resources Governance in Africa: Exploring the Missing Links – Organised by the African Natural Resources and Energy Law Network (ANRELN) at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK on 19th June 2019
Affiliations
Society of Legal Scholars; Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; Nigerian Bar Association