Nkemdilim Izuako is a Nigerian judge who was appointed to the bench in 1998. She earned her law degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, and started her journey at the bench with an appointment to the Court of Anambra State. She was later appointed to the High Court of Nigeria, where she served until 2003. During her two decades in the Nigerian judiciary, she lectured at Nnamdi Azikwe University and also worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to draft a Judicial Ethics Training Manual for the Nigerian judiciary.

Between 2004 and 2006, Justice Izuako served as a judge of the High Court and Court of Appeal of The Gambia and taught law at Gambia Technical Institute. She made history by being appointed the first female judge to the High Court of Solomon Islands in 2006. As an advocate for women’s rights and development, she assisted in mentoring legal professionals and further mobilized local women to form the Honiara Women’s Initiative which undertakes micro-projects for the economic and social empowerment of women and girls. In 2009, Justice Izuako was appointed as an ad litem judge of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal in Nairobi. The tribunal, which is located in Nairobi, New York, and Geneva, works to improve the United Nation’s system of dealing with internal grievances and disciplinary cases. In May 2017, she was elected as President of the tribunal for one year, from 1 January to 31 December 2018.

Having overcome overwhelming odds in her professional career, Nkemdilim has authored several articles including: “Judicial Independence and The Gambian Judiciary”, “Walking the Line of Judicial Independence: The Case of Gambian Government and Moral Integrity”, “Human and People's Rights and the Administration of Justice in Africa.” One of her remarkable pieces of advice to other women in law is that “although it becomes difficultly uncomfortable and even dangerous to give decisions against your conscience; you earn respect, you stand tall and fulfill the oath of your office to work with integrity.” (IAWL, n.d.). Justice Izuako was awarded the McArthur Funds for Leadership Development.