Okanga trained as a lawyer in Nigeria and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2015. He practiced law from late 2015 to 2019 at the Lagos office of the full-service law firm, Streamsowers & Kohn, where he represented local and foreign clients in a broad spectrum of practice fields cutting across civil, commercial and criminal dispute resolution, regulatory compliance and legal advisory. 

Okanga rejoined the academic theatre in 2019, at Dalhousie University, as an LLM student. After a successful LLM sojourn, Okanga immediately commenced PhD studies at the school. He has researched in the areas of income tax, international tax, international trade law, constitutional law, social justice and dispute resolution. Okanga’s evolving doctoral research reimagines the normative framework for evaluating international tax justice, especially in the context of the most radical international tax reform effort in a century. 

Okanga works as a part time research assistant in the law school and has a teaching role as a part time lecturer for International Tax. 

Community engagement is integral to Okanga’s student life experience. This traces back to high school where he served as school chapter President of the Young Farmers’ Club (2004–05) and then as Games Prefect (2005–06). As a law student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Okanga served as Instructor of Zenith Chambers (2012–13), Treasurer/Financial Secretary of the National Association of Cross River State Students’ (2012–13), President of the UNN Students’ Bar Association (2013–14) and Head of the UNN Law Clinic (2013–14). At Dalhousie University, Okanga has carried on with community engagement, serving as graduate students’ representative on the Schulich Law Faculty Council (2019–20), President, Dalhousie Law Graduate Society (DLGS – 2020–21) and volunteer on the faculty’s Alumni Engagement and Graduate Studies committees. 

Okanga is a grad student with a professional background who consciously recognizes the importance of making graduate research digestible and adaptable to daily problem solving. This orientation underlies his introduction of the “Law and Impact” themed Research Transition Conference 2021 into the mandate of the DLGS, as a way of helping grad students to share that consciousness of making research usable beyond the academic bubble. 

Okanga is an avid sports lover. He regularly watches soccer and plays recreationally. He has authored nearly 200 soccer editorials. Okanga also occasionally watches boxing, lawn tennis, hockey, basketball and formula 1. He enjoys numerous genres of music and follows the news for history, politics and business insight.