Dr Joycelin Eze Okubuiro

Joycelin Eze-Okubuiro researches in the field of public international law and joined the Leicester Law school in 2022. Joycelin has previously held academic positions as a senior Lecturer at the University of Nigeria and Associate lecturer at the University of West England. Joycelin is also a qualified barrister and solicitor of the supreme court of Nigeria.

Joycelin’s research is in the field of public international law. Her research interest and publications are particularly in the areas of:

• Critical legal theories/TWAIL/Decolonisation/Legal pedagogy
• Legal History
• Relationship and Conflicts between states and non-state actors in law-making
• Aid and Development.

List of Selected Publications (single and co-authorship)

Book Chapters: 

‘Legal Rights of the Girl Child in Nigeria: The Laws and the Challenges’ in Nubuisi Nwafor (ed.) Joys of Human Rights: Essays in Honour of Professor Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (Malthouse Press Limited, 2021) 62.

‘Rule of Law and Paralysis of its Practice in Nigeria’ in Ifeoma I Enemo et al (eds.), Law, Democracy and National Development (Snaap Press Ltd, 2021) 118.

Journal Articles

‘Deconstructing The Right to Self-Determination and the Polemics of Secession under International Law: The Case of Nigeria and Cameroon’, (2023) AJICL 31:2, p. 291.

‘Credible Commitment or Sham Devotion to the International Criminal Court: Whither Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda?’ (2023) African Journal of Legal Studies, 15(2), p. 242.

‘International Organisations Versus State Actors in Law-making in the International System (2022) International Review of Law and Jurisprudence (IRLJ) Vol. 4, No. 2, p. 32.

‘The Applicability of Customary International Law in Nigerian Context: Definitive Lessons from South Africa’ (2022) Redeemer’s University Nigeria, Journal of Jurisprudence & International Law (RUNJJIL) Volume 2, p.222.

‘States and Non-state Actors in Hegemonic and Counter-hegemonic Narratives in International Law: The Nigerian Experience’ (2020) Comparative Legal History Vol. 8:2, p. 144 (shortlisted for Van Caenegem Prize 2022).

‘African States and the Dilemma of Harnessing Resources of the Res Communis and the Common Heritage of Mankind under International Law’ (2020) University of Jos Journal of International Law and Jurisprudence, Vol. 6, No. 2, p. 15.

‘Third World Resistance as a Counter-Hegemonic Phenomenon in Customary International Law’ (2020) Global Journal of Comparative Law, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p. 183.

‘Saving The Fluidity of Customary International Law through the Role of International Judges in Custom- Making’, (2019) Benson Idahosa University Law Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 171.

‘Application of Hegemony to Customary International Law: An 
African Perspective’,  2018 Global Journal of Comparative Law, Volume 7, Issue 2, p. 232.

‘Connecting the dots: relevance of sustainable development principles in addressing environmental protection issues in Nigeria’s oil industry’, (2018) Commonwealth Law Bulletin, Vol. 44, Issue 3, p. 476.

Joycelin has previously published under the name Joycelin Chinwe Okubuiro.

Joycelin welcomes approaches from prospective doctoral candidates in the field of Public international law. She has particular interest in:

• Critical Legal theories/TWAIL/Decolonisation/Legal pedagogy
• Legal History
• Relationship and Conflicts between states and non-state actors in law-making
• Development/Aid

Undergraduate

• Law of Tort
• Equity and Trusts

Postgraduate

• International Law and the Use of Force

Vice Chair, Teaching of International Law & SDGs committee, the International Law Association, (Nigerian branch).

Report

Christine Schwöbel, Laura Dawson and Joycelin Okubuiro conference Report: 2012  ‘Critical Approaches to International Criminal Law’

Paper presentations

• ‘Stimulating an Enabling Regulatory and Technological Environment for the Advancement of Contemporary African Economies’ (Paul Adole Ejembi & Joycelin Chinwe Eze-Okubuiro)  presented at the 6th Biennial conference, The African International Economic Law Network (AFIELN), at Accra- Ghana, 21-24 June 2023
• ‘Non-Western Pedagogy: A Global South Contribution to the Understanding of International Law’, presented at St Mary’s University London in a conference titled ‘Towards Decolonised Futures: An interdisciplinary conference challenging the Politics of Knowing and being on 27 May 2021.
• ‘Deconstructing The Right to Self- Determination and the Polemics of Secession under International law’ (Paul Adole Ejembi, Joycelin Chinwe Eze-Okubuiro & Obinna James Edeh) presented at Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria on 25 November 2020.
• ‘Covid 19 and its Challenges to Legal Practice in Nigeria’ presented at the Sensitation of Lawyers and Staff on Working Ethics in Post-Covid 19, organized Global Law Firm at Akalaka Plaza, Enugu State on 25 June 2020.
• ‘Rule of Law in Contemporary Nigeria: A Myth or Reality? presented at 17th Annual Conference of Crusade for Justice (NGO) at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos- Nigeria, 2019
• ‘Assessing Third World Tools of Resistance under international Law’, presented at School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom on 15-16 September 2015
• ‘Hegemony and its Application to Customary International Law: An African Perspective’ a paper in the conference titled Making International Custom More Tangible, hosted by McCoubrey Centre for International Law, University of Hull, United Kingdom on 2-3 July 2015.
• ‘African Personality: A Tool for Understanding the Legal Personality of the African Individual in International Law-making,’ presented at the conference titled ‘Anthropology and the politics of engagement’ hosted by the University of Manchester, United Kingdom on 4-5 June 2015.

Invitation to talks

• Expanding the Frontiers of Non-state actors in the pursuit of Environmental Justice, webinar presentation on 19 July 2023 
• ‘Patriotism as a Valuable tool for Nation Building in Nigeria’ as Keynote Speaker at South-East Youth Summit, Advocates Movement, hosted by the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus on 28 February 2020, 
• ‘Judiciary in Nigeria: The Journey so far’ as a Guest Speaker, 5 December 2019 Law Dinner held by the Nigerian Bar Association, Oji River Branch, Enugu-Nigeria.

Public international law

• PhD (University of Liverpool)
• LLM (Awarded Josephine Onoh's prize for Best Overall Performance in International Law and Fred Madison Dissertation prize for Best Dissertation in International Law, University of Hull, United Kingdom, 2011)
• LLB Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria