The incoming President of the United States of America, Joe Biden has appointed Nigerian-born Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo into his cabinet days before the inauguration of his government.
Badejo’s appointment was announced on Thursday when Biden named an additional 20 members of the office of the White House counsel which advises the president, the executive office of the president, and the White House staff on legal issues pertaining to the president and the White House.
In a statement on the Biden-Harris transition website, Badejo (who served as ethics counsel in the same office toward the end of the Obama administration) was general counsel of the house select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis which was chaired by James Clyburn, house majority whip.
“Her prior government service includes serving as Counsel for policy to the Assistant Attorney-General in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Ethics Counsel at the White House Counsel’s Office and Attorney Advisor at the Administrative Conference of the United States during the Obama-Biden administration,” the statement read.
“Olorunnipa Badejo began her legal career as an associate with the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and was Legal Counsel at Palantir Technologies Inc. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Florida. Originally from Florida, Olorunnipa Badejo lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and son,” it added.
Badejo, a lawyer and an alumna of Berkeley Law College in the US, is the daughter of Prof Zachaeus Olorunnipa from Igbo-Bunu, Kabba-Bunu LGA of Kogi State in Nigeria.
Her appointment comes after Biden also named a Nigerian-American, Osaremen Okolo as his COVID-19 advisor.
The President-elect announced her name as one of those who will lead the COVID-19 Response Team.
Also, Nigerian-born attorney, Adewale ‘Wally’ Adeyemo, was also appointed by Biden as Deputy Treasury secretary.
Adeyemo, who is a former senior international economic adviser during the Obama administration, was nominated to serve under former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, as part of a slate of economic-team nominations he plans to announce on Tuesday.