Yesterday, 8 July 2025, the Body of Benchers admitted our own Prince-Engineer into the noble profession of law, conferring on him the title of Barrister-at-Law, Solicitor & Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The ceremony, held at the Body of Benchers Complex in Abuja, marked the culmination of three intense years of legal study and pupillage for a man who already sits at the apex of Nigeria’s safety-engineering community.

A Lifetime of Firsts

Adeyemi Biodun Oyedepo’s professional story has always been about breaking new ground:

Why Add a Wig to the Hard-Hat?

Speaking to HSENations some years back, Oyedepo argued that “only professional engineers should handle engineering safety”—yet he lamented that outdated laws often let non-engineers dictate safety practice.
The LLB and BL now give him the legislative and courtroom tools to close that gap. With a single CV he can:

• Draft safer statutes: translate field experience into enforceable codes.
• Defend public interest: litigate when corners are cut on infrastructure projects.
• Mentor Akoka students: demystify the overlap of engineering, regulation and jurisprudence.

A Beacon for UNILAGFEAA

Oyedepo’s journey mirrors the Alumni Association’s creed of “classroom-to-career excellence”. As a two-time UNILAG graduate (B.Sc. ’86, MBA ’01) and now a Supreme-Court-certified advocate, he exemplifies lifelong learning and multidisciplinary agility. His new credential opens fresh collaboration lanes for UNILAGFEAA:

1. Policy Clinics: Alumni lawyers and engineers co-supervise student teams analysing real bills before the National Assembly.
2. Safety-Law Internships: Placements in regulatory agencies for undergraduates who want a taste of both worlds.
3. Distinguished Lecture 2026: “Engineering Evidence in the Courtroom” — who better to deliver it?

A Standing Ovation from His Alma Mater

Dear Engr. Barr. Oyedepo, the entire University of Lagos Faculty of Engineering Alumni family salutes you. Your transition from turbines to tribunals is more than a personal triumph; it is a clarion call to every UNILAG engineer that our expertise is only limited by the frontiers we refuse to cross.

May your new wig sit as lightly as your hard-hat has sat firmly, and may the scales of justice tilt ever more toward safety, innovation and national development under your learned advocacy.

Congratulations, Sir! You remind us that the spirit of Akoka engineers is indomitable, adaptable and forever in pursuit of higher ground.

— UNILAG Faculty of Engineering Alumni Association (UNILAGFEAA)