For his excellent performance and delivering 28 judgments during the period under evaluation, the Judges’ Performance Evaluation Committee of the National Judicial Council (NJC) under the Chairmanship of HRH, Hon. Justice Bage Muhammad 1 has commended Hon. Justice Nelson Ogbuanya of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) for Excellent Performance for the 2nd Quarter 2022 assessment of Return of Cases by Judges of Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria.
A statement obtained from the NICN website notes that one of the core objectives of the Performance Evaluation Committee is to provide adequate mechanisms to enhance the performance of Judicial Officers through continuous monitoring, evaluation accountability and learning with the aim of improving effective and efficient productivity in our Courts.
According to the Commendation Letter dated 28th November 2023 addressed to Hon. Justice N.C.S Ogbuanya, through the Office of the President of the Industrial Court, and signed by Secretary to the Committee for Chairman, Committee on Performance Evaluation of Judicial Officers of Superior Courts of Record, H. S Sa’eed, the Committee noted with admiration that Justice Ogbuanya performed excellently well by delivering 28 judgments during the Quarter, and urged His Lordship to keep the stride up.
Prior to his appointment as a Judge of the NICN in July 2017, Nelson Chukwudi Stevens Ogbuanya was a Legal Practitioner & Consultant on corporate & investment law, taxation, labour & industrial relations practice, IP and ICT-related disputes, and also practiced as an Arbitrator/ ADR Counselor & Trainer.
Justice N.C.S Ogbuanya attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos (1997) and was called to the Nigerian Bar in February 1998. He holds Bachelor of Laws, LL.B (Hons) of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (1996), Master of Laws (LL.M) from the University of Lagos (2000) and Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDEd.) from the University of Lagos (2008).
He was admitted as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb.), London (2000) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (ACTI) (2011).
He started his legal career from his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the Law Firm of Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, and spent 7 years in active private practice and 12 years in combined academics and practice.
In the course of a distinguished practical and academic career, he has been involved in consulting, teaching, researching and handling various aspects of corporate and commercial transactions/litigation, industrial & labour relations practice, as well as Arbitration & ADR matters.
He also worked as a Local Partner/Consultant (Nigeria) with the IFC/ World Bank Project Team in charge of preparing the “DOING BUSINESS REPORT”(2011, 2013,2014 and 2017 ), which benchmarks business regulations (inclusive of labour practices and employment conditions) in 189 economies worldwide. He also served as an Expert Contributor (Nigeria) for World Justice Project, which publishes the Global Rule of Law Index. In 2002, he was enlisted as a Panel Member of the Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, Lagos, and in 2006,Â
He was appointed Member, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Panel of Neutrals (Arb.) for Resolution of Inter-Connectivity Dispute among GSM operators in Nigeria, and Resource-Arbitrator, Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, Lagos.
He was also a Senior Lecturer,& Head of Department Corporate Law Practice, Nigerian Law School, and the Author of the Council of Legal Education Approved Textbook- “Essentials of Corporate Law Practice in Nigeria” (2010, 2nd Ed.2014).
While at the Bar, he served as the 1st Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch (2013-2015), Member NBA-NEC (2014-2016), Member, NBA Constitution Committee that drafted the NBA Constitution 2015 and also served as the American Bar Association Section of International Law (ABA-SIL ) Liaison to the NBA and Country Representative for Nigeria (2013-2017).
He was appointed Notary Public for Nigeria in 2013.