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What City People Found Out
One of the stand- out qualities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the fact that he has an impressive reputation for building men and women who have gone on to emerge as some of the biggest power houses within the political circle today. A lot of these men and eomen have gone on to serve in different capacities both at the state and federal level and they have distinguished themselves everytime they get the opportunity to serve the nation. One of such women around the Preasident who has continued to attract positive commendations from the public owing to her tenacity and commitment to serve is Princess Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire. Presently, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She also doubles as the Party’s Apex leader in Alimosho federal constituency and this makes her one of the leaders of the ruling party, APC, in Lagos and a member of the highest decision making body of the APC in the state called Governance Advisory Council. She is also the leader of the Alimosho Justice Forum in Lagos.
The Justice Forum is a political group under the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Lagos. Owing to the humongous size and electoral value Alimosho holds for the APC in terms of the massive number of registered voters it boasts of, Mr. President and the APC in Lagos do not joke with Alimosho and Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire. President Bola Tinubu especially, holds Princess Adejoke in very high regard because he knows she has such a firm grip on Alimosho and he can go to sleep on the day of any election involving Alimosho and other localities in Lagos because he has no doubts that Alimosho, under Princess Adejoke, will always be delivered to the party.
Just a few days ago, the Justice Forum held a meeting at Ebenezer Primary School in Alimosho, Lagos State, to show support for President Bola Tinubu and his administration. The meeting which had over ten – thousand people in attendance recorded a huge success according to the organisers.
Alimosho Justice forum, led by Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, promised to mobilize more people to support Tinubu’s reelection bid in 2027 and propagate his Renewed Hope Agenda which is showing positive signs.
The event was attended by notable figures, including Hon. Lukmon Orelope representing Alimosho constituency ’01 in the Lagos State House Assembly, Hon Lateef Ibirogba the south-west APC secretary, and Hon. Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, the commissioner of wealth creation and employment.
Leaders present emphasized the need for unity among party members and encouraged them to engage in door-to-door campaigning and obtain their voter’s cards. The group is confident that they have the numbers, capacity, and vision to ensure a resounding victory for Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 general elections. This proclamation, no doubt, will be music to the ears of the party leaders even at the national level, who can see that the Justrice Forum, Alimosho, is not waiting until the 2037 presidential election is around the corner before they begin to mobilise their people and prepare them to come out enmasse and vote.
Who is this very calm and politically astute woman who has emerged as one of the most politically revered woman in the state? What is her antecedent? Let us tell you a bit about her.
Princess Victoria Orelope-Adefulire is an accomplished public servant and politician with a long history of meritorious public service. She is passionate about women’s empowerment, youth development, and girl-child education. Her dedication to the socio-economic development of the country has led her to serve in various leadership positions.
Orelope-Adefulire was born on September 29, 1959, into the royal lineage of Prince Kareem-Laka of Akeja Oniyanru and Amore Ruling House in Lagos State. She attended Salvation Army Primary School and St Joseph’s Secondary School in Lagos. She graduated from the sociology department of the Lagos State University and also has a diploma in social work. She was later awarded an honorary degree by the same university.
She began her political career during the short-lived Third Republic as an elected member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. She later served as an Electoral Commissioner and then as the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. She was re-appointed to the latter position by Governor Babatunde Fashola.
Princess Orelope-Adefulire served as the Deputy Governor of Lagos State from 2011 to 2015. During her time in office, she championed important laws to protect children and combat domestic violence. She also established skills acquisition centres to provide training and support for young people.
Additionally, she promoted women’s health and education, and built the first multipurpose home/clinic for children with disabilities in Lagos State, as part of her desire to support parents, particularly mothers with disabled children. Her selfless assistance to others, regardless of religion or ethnicity, has earned her the nickname “Iya Alaanu,” a charitable giver. While she was in office, Lagos State implemented various initiatives to support vulnerable persons, women, and children, including a Transit Home for victims of domestic violence and programs for economic empowerment and education. These initiatives have been adopted by other states.
Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire was appointed as President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, and made significant contributions in areas such as education, health, empowerment, and poverty alleviation throughout Nigeria. Under her leadership, the SDGs Office was recognized for various initiatives, including the design of the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) for sustainable development and conducting the first independent evaluation of any of the goals in the Global South. The office also developed the Nigeria Sustainable Development Goals Implementation Plan (2020-2030) and produced baseline study and indicators for the SDGs.
Additionally, the Nigeria Integrated Sustainable Development Goals simulation (iSDG) model has been customised to provide a domestic analytical tool for SDGs planning at national and sub-national levels. She played a significant role in integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national and sub-national development plans in Nigeria. She has also presented the country’s Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to the UN High Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
Recognising the need for collaboration, she established partnerships with stakeholders outside the government, such as the Private Sector Advisory Group, Donors Partnership Forum, and the Civil Society Strategy Group. Additionally, she has spearheaded initiatives to improve the lives of Nigerians, particularly in the areas of healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation. This includes the establishment of Mother and Child Centres and primary healthcare centres across the country.
Under her, the SDG office has built over 2000 primary schools and skills acquisition centres, aiming to improve basic education and alleviate poverty. These initiatives also promote the growth of small and medium scale enterprises and address issues of unemployment.
She is actively involved in advocating for progressive change, women’s rights, poverty eradication, and education, as a result of which she has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, both locally and internationally. For instance, she holds the Guinness World Record for reading aloud to the highest number of children in one place. She read out aloud to 4,222 students in 2011. In 2007, she was awarded the International Public Servant of the Year by the Scottish Widows. She was also recognized as the Lagos State Man of the Year in 2009.
Her dedication to advocating for children’s protection and development earned her the Daisey George Award in 2010. In 2018, she received an award from the International Women’s Society for her work in empowering and defending the rights of women, youth, and children. Additionally, she was inducted as a fellow of the Association of Business Executives in the United Kingdom for her contributions to the attainment of the SDGs. She is also a fellow of the Anglican Diocese of Lagos West and has received an Award of Recognition from the Anglican Church of Resurrection.
– WALE LAWAL
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