The President elect of the United States of America, Joe Biden has selected Nigerian-born Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo into his cabinet days before the inaugurated of his administration.
Badejo’s appointment was reported on Thursday when Biden named an extra 20 individuals from 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 relating to the president and the White House.
In an assertion on the Biden-Harris transition site, 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 Covid-19 emergency which was led 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.
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.
