Mojeed Alabi

Mojeed Alabi was born on 7 July 1962, in Ivory Coast.[1] He is an indigene of Ejigbo in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State.

Alabi attended Methodist Primary School, Agodi N5, Ibadan (1970-1971), Ansar-Ud-Deen Primary School, Ejigbo(1971-1975), and Ansar-Ud-Deen High School, Ejigbo (1975-1980).[1] In 1980, he was admitted to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to study Political Science and he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1984. He also obtained a Master of Science degree in Political Science of the same university in 1988 and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science of the University of Ibadan in 2000. He also obtained a Bachelor of Law degree of the University of Ibadan (1989), Barrister-at-Law of the Nigerian Law School, Lagos (1993), Master of Law of the Obafemi Awolowo University (2006) and Doctor of Philosophy in Law of the University of Leicester, United Kingdom (2013).[2][3][4][5]

Upon his graduation from university, Alabi was first employed as an Administrative Officer at Halaal Investment Limited, Lagos, 1984-1985, before he joined his alma mater in 1986 as a postgraduate fellow/teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science. He became an Assistant Lecturer in January 1990, Lecturer II in October 1992 and Lecturer I in November 1995.[1] In 1998, he withdrew his service from the Obafemi Awolowo University to join active politics of the Fourth Republic. He returned to academia in February 2004 at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, got appointed as Lecturer I in the Department of Public Law, University of Ilorin in August 2005. In March, 2006, he moved to the Department of Political Science of the same university as a Senior Lecturer. He was elevated to a professorial chair in September 2011 and also became an adjunct professor of Public Law in the same year.[1] In 2012, Alabi was also appointed adjunct professor of Political Science and Public Administration, Redeemers University. Alabi left University of Ilorin in January January 2015 to contest and got elected as a Member of the House of Representatives where he served with multiple responsibilities till June, 2019. Before returning to the Ivory Tower for another pensionable appointment, Alabi taught postgraduate students on visiting appointment at the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja and a sabbatical appointment at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Abuja. He is now a Professor in the Department of Political Science, Osun State University (Okuku Campus).

Alabi has trained many legislators across the African parliaments and was the head of the Parliamentary Capacity Building Programme of the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), Morocco.[1][5] He has also been a resource person on legislative processes in the last twenty years for a number of national and international institutions including: the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Actionaid International Nigeria (AAIN), Africa Leadership Forum (ALF), African Union's Citizens and Diaspora Office (CIDO), African Parliamentary Knowledge Network (APKN), International Forum of Seafarers of Dakhla, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS),among others.[5]

Alabi's active involvement in politics started in 1991 when he was appointed Secretary to Ejigbo local government. He was at this job until November 1993 when the military government of General Sanni Abacha ousted all the democratic structures in the country. However, at the return of civilian rule in 1999, Alabi stood for an election on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy and was elected a member of the Osun State House of Assembly to represent the people of Ejigbo Constituency. Alabi was elected the Speaker of the House and he served in this capacity until 2003 when the assembly was dissolved.

In 2015, Alabi contested for a seat in the House of Representatives, Abuja and was returned elected. He represented the people of Ede federal constituency comprising Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo L.G areas. At the House of Representatives, he was the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights and Chairman Nigeria-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group, among other committees assignments. Before his full re-entry into politics, he served as the chairman of Osun State Local Government Areas Creation Committee (2012-2013), member of Osun State Schools Infrastructure Development Committee 2012-2014 and member of the Committee on Resolution of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Crisis (2011-2012). He also served as the Osun coordinator of Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaigns 2014-2015 and a member of the APC National Presidential Convention Planning Committee (2014).[6][7] In July 2020, he was appointed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Secretary of the Ondo State Governorship Election Primary Screening Appeal Committee

Alabi was the Best Overall Student in the Department of Political Science, University of Ife in 1984. He was also the recipient of a Postgraduate Fellowship Award of the Obafemi Awolowo University 1985-1988 and the Professor David Ijalaiye Prize for the Overall Best Student in Master of Law for 2005/2006 at the Obafemi Awolowo University.

Alabi was a Member, Committee on the University of Ilorin Strategic Plan 2008-2013;Member, Editorial Board, Ilorin Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 2006-2007; Coordinator, Masters in International Studies (MIS) programme of the University of Ilorin, 2006-2008 and Head, Department of Political Science,University of Ilorin 2011-2012. He was also Chairman, Departmental Examinations Committee and Member, Faculty Examinations Committee, 1996-1998, Representative of the Dean of Social Sciences on the Faculty Board of Law, 1996-1998 at the Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife.[8] Currently at the Osun State University, he is a better of the steering committee for establishment of university's Open and Distance Learning (ODL)

Alabi is the author of the book The Supreme Court in the Nigerian Political System 1963-1997, co-author of Perspectives on the Legislature in the Government of Nigeria, Editor of Unbroken Legacy of Service: Speaker Bello's Twelve Years under Three Administrations in Osun State, and author of "ECOWAS Court and Regional Integration in West Africa (2016).[3]

Alabi also has to his credits several academic papers in journals and books, in addition to many seminar papers and presentations on governance institutions, leadership and policy analysis.

On 13 November 2014, Alabi presented the 153rd University of Ilorin Inaugural Lecture Politics and Law:Anatomy of The Siamese Twins.[9][10] Alabi in the lecture opined that "The relationship between Political Science and Public Law is intertwined, complex and inseparable."[11]

Alabi is married to Alhaja Silifat Olarike Alabi and Hajiah Labeebah Oluwafunmilayo Alabi. He is blessed by God with five children: Safiyyah (Mrs Hammed), Ashraf, Fayzah, Aminah and Abdullah.

Alabi holds the traditional title of Otun Balogun of Emure-Ekiti and is the Aare Musulumi of Agunbelewo Community, Osogbo. He has also been conferred with numerous social awards including that of Ejigbo Local Government Area Students Association (ELGASA).[3]