About Oladele Bankole-Balogun (Hon.)

Biography of Hon. Oladele Bankole-Balogun

Hon. Oladele Bankole-Balogun is a Nigerian lawyer, politician and public administrator from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. He was born in 1961 into the family of the late Chief Bankole Balogun of Igarra, Akoko-Edo. He has built a career spanning law, business, public administration and politics.

Bankole-Balogun obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Ibadan in 1984. He subsequently studied Law at the University of London and obtained an LL.B degree, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the College of Law, Store Street, London. He is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales, the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).

His professional career began in the private sector. He worked with Cadbury Nigeria Plc between 1985 and 1989 before moving to the United Kingdom, where he worked with Pfizer UK in Sandwich, Kent, from 1989 to 1994. He later became involved in business and served as Chairman of Alphabet House Ltd and as a director or board member of other companies.

Bankole-Balogun also established himself in legal practice as the principal partner of Oladele Bankole-Balogun & Co. His professional experience has therefore covered corporate affairs, legal practice, business administration and public service.

He entered public service as a Federal Commissioner representing Edo State on the Public Complaints Commission, serving from 2012 to 2015. In this role, he was involved in the commission's work of addressing complaints from members of the public concerning government institutions and public administration.

Bankole-Balogun has also participated actively in electoral politics. He has previously sought the opportunity to represent Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. In 2022, he publicly declared his intention to contest the seat and subsequently participated in the political process in the constituency.

He later became involved in the 2024 Edo State governorship campaign as a member of the APC Campaign Council. In December 2024, Governor Monday Okpebholo nominated him as Executive Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), placing him in charge of the state's internally generated revenue administration.

For the 2027 general election, Bankole-Balogun is listed as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency in Edo State. His career combines legal practice, private-sector experience, public administration and political participation at both state and federal levels.