Staff Profile

Godswill is a legal scholar specializing in energy justice, environmental law, and sustainable development, with a particular focus on the Global South. His PhD completed at the University of Essex, United Kingdom, explored the role of energy justice as a strategic tool for advancing fair and inclusive energy policies. He joined Newcastle Law School from the University of Essex in 2026. In 2019, he was a Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Houston Law Center, Texas, USA, further deepening his expertise in global energy governance. In 2025, he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bayreuth, Germany.

Beyond academia, Godswill has provided expert consultancy and advisory services to government institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, offering insights into energy policy, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable development. With a background in legal practice, he qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor in Nigeria in 2011. He previously served as a Research Assistant to the Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Edo State, Nigeria, contributing to policy reform and legal strategy. His academic credentials include an LLM in Oil and Gas Law (2014) from the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and an LLB (2010) from Madonna University, Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK), Associate Editor of the Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, and Editor for the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment.

Qualifications

• PhD, Essex Law School, University of Essex, UK
• LLM Oil and Gas Law, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
• B.L, Nigeria Law School
• LLB, Madonna University, Nigeria.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Director of Admissions UG (2026 - Present)

External Examiner Appointments

• University of Roehampton (2024-Present)

Editorial Work

• Editor, Journal of Human Rights and the Environment
• Associate Editor, Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy

Memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) (2023)
• Society of Legal Scholars
• International Law Association - Nigerian Branch
• Nigerian Bar Association

Research Interests

• Energy and climate justice
• Environmental justice and the law
• Sustainable development and the law
• Energy transitions and the law
• Corporate social responsibility and the law in extractive industries

Funding/Grants

• Funding for a Seed Meeting: International Corporation in Research between France and the United Kingdom at the French Embassy – February 2025 (£7,300) 
• British Academy: Building a Sustainable Future: Integrating Climate Action, Financial Stability, and Transition Financing – June 2024 (£15, 225) 
• British Academy: The Role of Local Informal Institutions in the Implementation of Effective Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria – March 2024 (£9,972)
• Eastern Academic Research Consortium: Laying the Legal Foundation for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement – Investment Mechanisms – June 2022 (£2,500) 

Doctoral Supervision

Dr Agbaitoro is available to supervise new doctoral students interested in conducting research in the fields of sustainable development, energy, and environmental law broadly conceived. He is also interested in the interactions between energy transitions and the law.

Undergraduate Teaching

• LAW1221 - Contract Law (seminars)

Postgraduate Teaching

• LAW8584 - International Environmental Law (Module Co-ordinator)

• Articles

  • Nwoke U, Agbaitoro G, Tioluwani C. Integrating Informal Institutions in the Regulation of Effective Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria’s Extractive Industry. African Journal of International and Comparative Law 2026, 34(2), 285-310.
  • Nwoke U, Agbaitoro G, Tioluwani C. Addressing Regulatory Deficiencies: Enhancing Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria’s Extractive Industry through Local Informal Institutions. Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy 2026, 17(4), 194-229.
  • Agbaitoro G, Misra S. Mapping Human Rights Violations Connected to Renewable Energy Development in India: A Case Study of the 'Oran Land' at Thar Desert and Energy Transition. Business and Human Rights Journal 2025, 10(1), 249-259.
  • Agbaitoro G, Ekhator E. Just Energy Transition in Africa: Towards Social Inclusion and Environmental Rights-Based Imperatives. Business and Human Rights Journal 2025, 10(1), 34-55.
  • Agbaitoro G. Implementing Energy Justice through Corporate Social Responsibility of Multinational Corporations in Energy and Extractive Industries: Old Body in New Robes. Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law 2024, 42(3), 423-447.
  • Agbaitoro G, Oyibo K. Realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13 in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030: synergizing energy and climate justice perspectives. Journal of World Energy Law and Business 2022, 15(3), 223-235.
  • Kaime T, Agbaitoro G. An Energy Justice Approach to Resolving the Conflict between the Development of Energy Access Projects and Human Rights Risks and Violations in Africa: Can a Balance be Struck?. Global Energy Law and Sustainability 2022, 3(1), 39-71.
  • Agbaitoro G. Legal strategy for resolving the socio-economic and environmental symptoms of the resource curse in Nigeria: the role of impact and benefit agreements (IBAs). Commonwealth Law Bulletin 2018, 44(3), 381-399.

• Book Chapters

  • Agbaitoro G, Meyer van den Berg H. Land Tenure, Project Siting, and Environmental Aspects of DERs. In: Iñigo del Guayo Castiella, Damilola S. Olawuyi, Louis de Fontenelle, Milton Fernando Montonya Pardo, José Juan González Márquez, ed. Sustainable Distributed Energy Resources: Law and Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2026, pp.57-76.
  • Oyibo K, Agbaitoro G. Balancing Energy Security and Climate Change Goals through Energy Efficiency and Sufficiency Tools for a Degrowth Economy in sub-Saharan Africa. In: Bisha Ohdedar, Judith Bueno De Mesquita, Danwood Chirwa, Claiton Fyock and Madhav, R, ed. Law for a Post-growth Era: Global Perspectives on Environmental, Human Rights and Economic Law. Edward Elgar, 2026. In Press.
  • Ekhator E, Agbaitoro G. Placing the Rule of Law and Environmental Justice in the Resource-Conflict Nexus in Nigeria.. In: Obasesam Okoi and Victoria Nalula, ed. Governing Natural Resources for Sustainable Peace in Africa: Environmental Justice and Conflict Resolution. Routledge, Abingdon, 2024, pp.145-168.

• Edited Book

  • Agbaitoro G, Ogbumgbada C, ed. Energy Justice Litigation: International and Domestic Perspectives. Springer, 2027. In Preparation.

• Editorial

  • Agbaitoro G, Hulme K, Wewerinke-Singh M. Energy justice discourse: Global South perspectives. Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law 2024, 42(3), 251-254.