Adeola Austin Oyinlade

Adeola Austin Oyinlade
Adeola in 2010
Born	(1981-08-06) August 6, 1981 Akure, Nigeria
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, human rights expert, International speaker, United Nations Young Ambassador for Peace
Years active	(2008–present)
Website	kycinitiative.org

Adeola Austin Oyinlade (born 6 August 1981) is a Nigerian lawyer, human rights expert, international speaker, United Nations Young Ambassador for Peace and Consultant to the African Union Commission (Youth Division), UNESCO, UN-HABITAT, UNDP and many other international organizations. He uses law as a tool of social engineering and problem-solving across Nigeria and Africa.

File:Adeola speaking at the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum Plenary session in Paris, France.JPG

Adeola speaking at the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum Plenary session in Paris, France

Early life

Adeola Austin Oyinlade was born on 6 August 1981 in Akure, Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.

Education

Adeola Austin Oyinlade completed his Primary school Leaving Certificate at Irotitun Community Primary School, Akure, Ondo state in 1992. He proceeded to C.A.C Adu Memorial High School and Akure Secondary Commercial School, Akure for his Senior Secondary School Education between 1993 and 1998. He sat for the first ever National Examination Council (NECO) Exam in 2000 at the Community High School, Isharun, Ondo state.

While writing his secondary school certificate examination in 1998 at Akure Secondary Commercial School, he lost his father, the bread winner of his family. He had informed his father while growing up of his ambition to study law in order to take up matters of injustice. After his father’s death, ‘life took a dramatic turn’ for him. ‘He sensed danger to his dream. Left with a shaking start in life, he ‘started fending for himself from early stage’ (See page 25 of the Guardian Newspapers published on Saturday 28 May 2011 in Nigeria).

After about six years of working on radio (O.S.R.C 96.5 FM and FRCN Positive 102.5 fm both in Akure) between 2001 and 2006, he left for University of Lagos for his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree in Law and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, for his Barrister at Law Certificate and was called into the Nigerian bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He completed in 2014 at the University of Lagos LL.M degree in Human Rights, Law of International Institutions, Constitutional Law and Administrative Law.

Legal practice

Adeola is the Principal Partner of Adeola Oyinlade & Co; a fully serviced law firm and a pioneer of e-legal services in Nigeria. Having his law firm situated in the city of Lagos of about 20 million populations where residents face heavy traffic challenges daily, his innovation has made it possible for Lagosians and people outside Lagos to seek legal services without leaving their houses and places of work but with a push of buttons in their palms.

Advocacy and public speaking

As a public speaker, he has graced United Nations, African Union, and Commonwealth of Nations speaking platforms among others in cities across Nigeria and around the world such as Abuja, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Paris, Nairobi, and Vienna etc.

He has also contributed his expertise on human rights, youth rights, democracy, and rule of law at the international level. In April 2011, He addressed the plenary sessions of the African Union’s African Youth Forum 2011 on ‘Readiness to reform National Laws and Legislation in compliance with the African Youth Charter’ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum Youth Voice for Change in Paris, France in 2011, on ‘Youth-led social innovation in Africa’; the UNHABITAT and UNDP co-organized YOUTH 21 Forum 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya on ‘Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa, Youth Socio-Economic and Political Participation; the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA) Conference on ‘Legal services and Human Rights Ideas’ ; the African Union’s Youth Experts meetings on the promotion of African Youth Charter; the National Youth Conference on Constitution Review in Abuja in 2012 on ‘Evolving a people’s constitution: Issues and processes’ and others. He has consistently mentored Nigerian youth in areas of human rights, democracy for over six (6) years, and is regularly invited to speak at youth fora within and outside Nigeria.

Adeola and H.E Thabo Mbeki, Immediate past president of South Africa at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

His contribution and ‘interest in and support of the United Nations’ was acknowledged and commended by Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary General. His UN-recognized commitment to the development of the MDGS through his writings include; ‘Millennium Development Goals; obstacles and ways of tackling them’ in 2007, ‘Contribution of Higher Institutions to achieving the Millennium Development Goals’ in 2008 and ‘importance and benefits of promoting [[Millenium_development_goals|MDGs]] through football tournaments’ in 2009 with a minute video linking the MDGs with the spirit of football where goals count and a call on everyone to score those goals.- Watch the video here

Human rights promotion and protection

The generality of Nigerians dread any form of contact with law enforcement agents. This is largely borne out of ignorance of their rights under the law. Such ignorance is exploited by police officers and others to intimidate and harass innocent persons. In taking up the challenge of educating and enlightening Nigerians on their basic rights, Adeola started ‘Know Your Constitution’ initiative on radio (UNILAG103.1FM) in 2007, ‘#KnowYourRightsNigeria’ on social media, mobile apps and founded ‘Constitutional Rights Awareness and Liberty Initiative ’ to provide pro-bono legal services as a lawyer, ‘helping Nigerians to Know their rights’ and to enforce the rights of the poor and defenseless.

Via ‘Know Your Constitution’ he designed it to interact with people from all walks of life on the awareness of their rights as contained in the Constitution of Nigeria, as well as other laws currently in force in Nigeria and educate them accordingly via radio, social network, mobile apps, streets campaign, conferences and seminars.

In order to take care of those who do not have access to him on radio and those who do not use feature phones to access social media, Adeola took the Initiative to the streets of Lagos to educate and thereby empowered people with knowledge of law and demonstrated the relevance of the constitutional provisions to their everyday lives. He gave out a ten thousand (10,000) copies of the Nigerian Constitution to people including; the Police, transporters, market women, farmers, artisans among others. (Watch Video how Adeola Oyinlade and his team empowered ten thousand people on their rights and freedom in one day)

At his final year as a law student of University of Lagos in 2011, he brought legal luminaries together for a two- day Human Rights International Conference in March at the University of Lagos. The ECOWAS Community court of Justice Chief Registrar, Mr. Tony Anene-Maidoh; Mr. Femi Falana SAN were among resource persons who empowered about 2,000 participants at the conference. It was also aired live to millions of radio listeners in Lagos on UNILAG FM.

His human rights promotion and protection has been commended by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He has become a reference in the field of social justice and human rights promotion and protection in Nigeria thereby working with leading human rights experts across West Africa and over 100 legal practitioners in Nigeria to empower the masses.

His passion for national and international development has brought him under the same roof with many national and international leaders. He has also set up a training unit in Lagos, Nigeria for young lawyers, law students and volunteers to enhance the quality of the empowerment offered locally to victims of human rights in Nigeria.

Achievements and awards

• In May 2009, he was named the ‘Youth Achiever’, by the African Newspaper of Nigeria Plc, Saturday Tribune, 30 May 2009 in Nigeria for educating Nigerians on their rights and for his ‘interest in and support of the United Nations’ through his series research carried out on MDGs (See page 39 of the Saturday Tribune published on 30 May 2009)
• In May 2010, he was commissioned as the United Nations Young Ambassador for Peace for his immense contribution and campaign as a young Nigerian to promote peace in Nigeria
• In August 2010, he was named the ‘Sunshine Youth Ambassador’ by the Citizen Reporters; a recognition for the Ondo state great and illustrious sons and daughters in Nigeria for his excellence, passion and dedication to the service of humanity via ‘Know Your Constitution’ project
• In October 2010, he was selected for the Nigeria Leadership Initiative’s future Leaders Fellowship. Nigeria Leadership Initiative is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Same year, he was appointed the Youth Coordinator of the Maiden edition of Kuramo Conference 2010 by the Lagos state Government .
• In November 2010, Adeola Oyinlade was declared winner of the 7th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards, LEAP AFRICA Awards, November 2010, Lagos, Nigeria for being an agent of change by using law as a tool of problem-solving in Nigeria
• For being the voice of the voiceless in Nigeria via his ‘Know Your Constitution’ project, Adeola was described as the ‘ Face of the Future’ by the Westerner Magazine. (See vol.2 No.34 edition of the Westerner Magazine published on 29 November 2010 in Nigeria)
• As a UN peace Ambassador promoting peace and respect for human rights, he was described as ‘A Man of the People’ by NEXT Newspaper. (See Page 19, Tuesday edition of Next Newspaper published on 21 December 2010 in Lagos, Nigeria)
• In April and November 2011, he was invited by the African Union to facilitate African Youth Forum sessions and Youth Experts meetings as a youth expert.
• IIP DIGITAL of the US Department of State website, Washington DC, United States in May 2011 featured Adeola on its site ‘for helping Nigerians to know their rights’ and his contribution towards the development of Africa . Same 2011, he was selected as the only youth judge of the prestigious annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards by LEAP Africa
• He won the Democracy and Rule of Law Category of the Top 12 National Youth Awards of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and Young Star Foundation, Abuja, Nigeria in November 2011
• In 2011, he was a Finalist, Bremen Peace Awards 2011 of Threshold Foundation for Exemplary Commitments to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Germany for “taking the legal path to justice” in Nigeria
• In March 2012, UNDP and UNHABITAT selected Adeola alongside the Benin Republic Permanent Representative to the UN and some African Union Commission (Youth Division representatives) to lead a session on Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa, Youth Socio-Economic and Political Participation. At the UN House in Kenya. Nairobi. Same year, he lead African Union team from West Africa to ECOWAS in line with AU Decade of Youth Plan Action.
• In 2013, he was selected by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations alongside other young leaders across the world to meet the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon at the 5th UNAOC Forum in Vienna, Austria
• In 2013, he was selected as a member of the Volunteers Sub-Technical Committee for the World Economic Forum on Africa, Nigeria 2014

References

1. Adeola Oyinlade: Helping Nigerians Know Their Rights US Embassy, from the original on 12 May 2011. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
2. Nigerians Fight for Rights US Embassy
3. Thisday NewsPaper UNILAG Law Undergraduate Honoured at LEAP AFRICA Awards
4. African Union Picks NLI Associate, Adeola Austin Oyinlade, to Digitize and Popularize African Youth Charter
5. Adeola Austin Oyinlade: African Union Summit: Justice, not only for the plaintiff, but also for the defendant
6. Paper presented by Adeola Austin Oyinlade at YALDA Conference
7. Youth Alliance Conference on Constitution Review publication
8. The_Guardian_(Nigeria)- Oyinlade: Ebola: How intellectual laziness stalls development [1]
9. Meet Adeola Austin Oyinlade - Sunshine Youth Ambassador [2]
10. Youngstars Foundation, Young Change Maker – Adeola Austin Oyinlade
11. Lagos State appoints sunshine youth ambassador International ConferenceCoordinator
12. THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION CHOOSES ADEOLA AUSTIN OYINLADE TO DIGITIZE AND

POPULARIZE THE AFRICAN YOUTH CHARTER by the USA Youth Publication

1. How Technology Is Fostering Good Governance In Nigeria
2. Adeola and his team demonstrate the relevance of constitutional provisionsto everyday lives
3. Musings on the World Day of Social Justice
4. Oyinlade - Ebola: How Intellectual Laziness Stalls Development allAfrica.com: Nigeria:
5. Chibok Girls: [3]
6. 2010 LEAP Awardees [4]
7. History of what is political crime Essay [5]

External links

• Know Your Constitution Initiative